Agenda

9.00

Registration, networking, tea & coffee

9.30

Welcome and opening remarks from the chair

Ivan Yates

Broadcaster and former Minister for Agriculture

The Big Picture

9.40

Opening Address

Keeping pace on climate change

  • Policy update: What is Ireland, the EU and the world doing?

  • What impact will climate change have on Ireland and what does this mean for the dairy industry?

  • The latest environmental research

  • How do we scale up the implementation of climate action? 

  • How can the EPA and the dairy industry work together towards a common achievable goal?

Dr. Eimear Cotter

Director of the Office of Evidence and Assessment, EPA

10.05

Panel Discussion

What does the future of Dairy look like?

  • Market demand: Consumer trends, habits and preferences

  • What does the future hold for our dairy farmers?

  • Changing the narrative around dairy

  • ESG, food security and the dairy supply chain

  • What’s coming down the road?

  • Growth opportunities

Niamh Lenehan, CEO, The Agri-Food Regulator

Stephen Arthur, Dairy Farmer and Former Chairman, IFA Dairy Committee

Joe Patton, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer Department, Teagasc

Andrew Wright, Dairy Farmer and Social Media Influencer (Farm Theory NI)

10.50

Morning Coffee

11.20

Panel Discussion

Senior Dairy Industry Executives Panel

A panel discussion with dairy leaders’ who outline how they are working to achieve ESG goals and the challenges and opportunities ESG presents.

  • ESG: a reporting burden or a value creator?

  • What is achievable? Where do we need to accelerate?

  • Are dairy consumers willing to pay more for good ESG practices? Will they have to?

  • What is the industry doing to decarbonise at processing level?

  • How are emissions being reduced along the value chain?

  • ESG’s effect on future strategy and decision making

TJ Flanagan, CEO, ICOS

Emma Walls, CEO, National Dairy Council

Pat Sheahan, CEO North Cork Creameries and Chairman, Dairy Industry Ireland

David Kennedy, Head of Dairy, Bord Bia

Sustainability Reporting

12.10

Panel Discussion

ESG: Compliance, Regulations and Reporting

  • Update on all the latest ESG regulations and their impact on the dairy sector

    ○ CSRD and Double Materiality Assessment

    ○ Due Diligence: What will the CS3D mean for companies?

    ○ Biodiversity & TFND (Taskforce on Nature Related Financial Disclosures):

    Incorporating nature-related and biodiversity disclosures into corporate sustainability reporting

    ○ EU Deforestation-free Directive

    ○ EU Green Claims Directive

  • Stories from the ground: benchmarking, standards and tools

  • What does the future hold for corporate sustainability reporting?

Niall Kiely, CEO, AgrosMilk

Aoife Connaughton, Sustainability Lead, Consumer and Agri Sector, Deloitte

Kevin Maher, Senior Executive, Dairy Sustainability Ireland (IBEC)

Jane Massy, Senior Strategy & Business Consultant, SGS

12.50

Lunch

Making It Happen

14.00

Panel Discussion

Investment and Finance: What is required to achieve the industry’s sustainability goals and where is investment most needed to innovate and compete on the global stage?

  • Fostering an investment environment to tackle Dairy’s biggest challenges

  • Where should we focus future innovation, investment and research to help processors and farmers?

  • Financial considerations, including incentives and assistance, associated with the decarbonisation of dairy processing operations

  • Can we protect and enhance Ireland’s leading position as a milk producer on the global stage?

Deirdre Glenn, Head of Food Technology and Food FDI, Enterprise Ireland

Sean Finan, CEO, IRBEA

Eoin Lowry, Head of Agriculture, Bank of Ireland

14.40

Panel Discussion

Accelerating the ESG journey with AI, technology and innovation

  • IT Transformation to achieve CSRD compliance

  • How to automate and streamline your ESG data collection

  • How AI and machine learning can help with ESG reporting, monitoring emissions, managing third parties and accelerating your journey to Net Zero

  • Risks, opportunities and the role of governance around Generative AI and its environmental impacts

Dr. Paul Byrnes, CEO, Mavarick AI

Anne Marie Henihan, Centre Director, Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC)

Paul Kennedy, CCO, Proveye

15.20

Sustainable skills development in the dairy industry

Social factors encompass a range of considerations, from wellbeing and diversity to human rights and community impact. Prioritising these factors is essential for building sustainable and equitable businesses and supply chains. Our panel discusses some of the key aspects of the “S” in ESG including the challenges in measuring and reporting on social factors.

  • Why developing the sustainability skills and competencies of employees is a key driver of enterprise transformation

  • Making sustainability everyone’s business : the importance of communicating climate strategy and performance

  • Upskilling opportunities to support the transition to a greener economy

  • What methods / solutions can be developed to measure and report on social factors?

Feargal Delaney, Network Manager, Sustainable Enterprise Skillnet

15.40

Panel Discussion

Turning ambition into action: What is top of the ESG to do list for dairy processors in 2025 and beyond?

Our Dairy leaders panel earlier looked at ESG from a macro level. Now we get into the nitty gritty on the challenges processors face on their journey to compliance and ultimately net zero. Topics to be discussed will include:

  • What tech and energy solutions are being employed to decarbonise?

  • What is being done to help farmers in terms of technology and innovation on their own farms? 

  • What are the biggest obstacles to addressing the carbon footprint of dairy processing? 

  • What are the main priorities for the next 12 months?

Moderator: Damien O’Reilly, EU Affairs and Communications Manager, ICOS

Enda Buckley, Director of Sustainability, Carbery

Zita McCarthy, Sustainability Manager, Kerry Dairy Ireland

Patrick Donohoe, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Lakeland Dairies

David Fitzgerald, Sustainability Director, Ornua

16.30

Summit ends