The 2025 Northern Ireland Food and Drink Conference: Sharing a vision for the future development of the food and drink sector.
Recently our Renewable Energy Projects Manager, Lachlan Nally, attended the Northern Ireland Food and Drink conference, held in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and the Food Standards Agency. The NI Food and Drink Conference brought together industry, government and academia, providing a constructive platform for engagement and collaboration.
The conference recognised the importance of the food and drink sector and outlines the magnitude of our region's efforts, punching above its weight in the wider UK setting. Due to the size of our agricultural sector, Northern Ireland (NI) is firmly on the global map for outstanding food & drink products, with three quarters of food & drink produced locally here in NI being exported.
DEARA Minister, Andrew Muir MLA outlined some of the exciting but challenging times ahead for the industry. He made clear that sustainability has to play a bigger role in food and drink production. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus from agriculture, wastewater, and industry can be harmful to local waterways, and the recent Lough Neagh Report had outlined the devastating impact this eutrophication can have on our local environment.
The widespread anaerobic digestion of agricultural manure offers a potential sustainable pathway to manage excess nutrients and at the same time support the production of indigenous renewable biomethane that will reduce our reliance on imported fuels.
See our recent ‘Enabling a greener energy future’ paper which outlines the challenges associated with biomethane production in NI, and measures needed for a biomethane economy to succeed locally.
