EUROPEAN CONFERENCE | Building Capacity & New Opportunities

10.00am Welcome Chaired by Damien O’Reilly, Countrywide RTE 1

Introducing the Congress theme of building capacity through sharing knowledge and expertise, highlighting new markets and new directions. The bringing together the disparate groups of delegates involved in Farming, Meat & Dairy Production (Cheese), Wool, Craft & Design, Eco Innovation, Development and Agritourism will give each delegate an insight into what is going on in the world of SHEEP.

10.05 Breed Development: Old and New (Belclare Sheep), Dr. James P. Hanrahan, UCD

10.25 Improving Sheep Productivity, Dr. Tim Keady, Teagasc, EuroSheep IRL (SheepNet):
         The technical and practical knowledge reservoir to increase EU sheep productivity

10.45 Farming Practices and Sheep Husbandry - Better Farming, Professor Michael Diskin,
         Teagasc, Exploiting potential: Lowland /Hill Breeding & Grassland Management

11.05 Food - To Market & Taste - Declan Fennell, Bord Bia ‘Customer First’ and 

11.25 Mary Johnson, Australia MLA ‘GOOD MEAT’ Marketing

11.45 Wendy Barrie, Scottish Food Guide, Leader of Slow Food Scotland’s Ark of Taste and Bosse Dalgren, Heritage
          Farmer, Linneus Environment Award, Sweden - Sheep contribution to Biodiversity and Ark of Taste

12.05 Dr. Andrew Sharp, School of Artisan Food Production, UK on Lakeland Herdwick Sheep, PDO and Traditional
         Cumberland sausage, PGI

Sheep Milk Dairy Opportunities
12.25 Enda McEvoy LOAM Restaurant, Galway Michelin Chef, on importance of provenance and local foods available… 
Kevin Sheridan, Sheridan's Cheesemongers or CÁIS Members TBC ...Cais Na Tire, Cashel/Crozier Blue, Velvet Cloud, Corleggy, Cratloe Hills, Achill Mountain Lamb, Connemara Hill Lamb PGI, McGeough’s Connemara Fine Foods, McGeoughs Connemara, Carlow Sheep Cheese, Vincenzo’s Sheep Cheese

12.45 Dr Anne Ferlay, INRAE, France: Research Unit Herbivores, Opportunities for ovine milk (cheese) from grass
         feeding

BREAK

1.15 WOOL – ‘Value Added’ Wool, Dalena White, IWTO International Wool Textile Organisation, #choosewool

Wool Quality & Tradition in Trade

1.40 Professor Jane McCann NFC Presents 
       Chris Weiniger explains Donegal Yarns & FUSION Project and Irish Wool Project with Joan Lucey, Yarn Vibes 

2.00 Representing local users IGSWD, IFC & Susanna Crampton

2.20 Miriam Cushen Cushendale Woollen Mills, Developing relationships with wool producers

2.35 Peter Handley, Standard Wool, Wool Standards & Grades

2.50 Fergal Byrne presents Irish Wool Steering Group and Research

3.00 Finish