Green Ireland Conference, Kilkenny Castle, 16-18 June 2006

kilkenny | environment | event notice Wednesday June 07, 2006 13:22 by Michael O'Callaghan - GM-free Ireland Network mail at gmfreeireland dot org +353 (0)404 43885

Branding for food, farming and eco-tourism

http://www.gmfreeireland.org/conference/

With Vandana Shiva, Percy Schmeiser, Deborah Koons Garcia, Benedikt Haerlin and other speakers.

Ireland's world famous clean green image provides a competitive advantage for our farming, food and tourism industries. We may quickly lose this through pollution and genetically modified (GM) animal feed, seeds and crops.

The Green Ireland conference provides a historic opportunity for politicians, stakeholders and key international experts to explore our democratic participation, legal rights and responsibilities for the future of food and farming and our brand recognition in a globalising world.

Themes:

• Forging a GM policy for Ireland
The global, European and local context on patented and genetically modified crops:
Keynote speeches, stakeholder perspectives, panel discussions, and action planning workshops.

• Integrity and diversity of ecosystems, agricultural traditions, and foods
Ecosystem integrity, agricultural biodiversity, farming practice, gastronomic traditions - and the health risks of GM crops, animal feed, and food: Expert presentations and panel discussion.

• Green branding, natural heritage and eco-tourism
International best practice, green branding, and Ireland – the food island: Expert presentations and panel discussion.

• Who decides? Democratic rights, responsibilities and public participation;
the Aarhus Convention (on access to Information, public participation in decision-making, and acdess to justice in environmental matters) and the proposed Strategic Infrastructure Bill (to limit public participation in the planning process for controversial projects):
Expert presentations and panel discussion.

• The future of Irish food and farming: time to choose
Panel discussion.

Who should attend:

Policy makers in the Irish and Northern Irish governments, local authorities, and the farming, food & tourism industries • Farmers • Food producers • Food exporters • Food retailers • Landowners • National Park administrators • Tourism industry professionals • Hoteliers • Restaurateurs and chefs • Environmental NGOs • Health professionals • Educators • Media people • Consumers

Speakers:

• Vandana Shiva, winner of the Right Livelihood Award;
Director, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology;
author, Biopiracy - the plunder of nature and knowledge. (India)

• Percy Schmeiser, farmer who was contaminated by GMO crops;
member of the International Forum for the Future of Food and Agriculture. (Canada)

• Deborah Koons Garcia, Director of the film The Future of Food. (USA)

• Benedikt Haerlin, Convener of the annual European Conference on GMO-free Regions.
Director, Foundation on Future Farming. Co-ordinator, Save Our Seeds. (Germany)

• Michel Dupont, Confédération Paysanne (France) • Eddie Punch, Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers Association (ICSA) • Kate Carmody, Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA) • John Brennan, Leitrim Organic Farmers Cooperative • Dr. Stanley Ewen, Grampian University Hospitals Trust (UK) • Clare Oxborrow, Friends of the Earth Europe • Jack O'Sullivan, Environmental Management Services • Frank Corcoran, European Environmental Bureau • Michael Ewing, Centre for Sustainability, Sligo Institute of Technology • Michael O'Callaghan, GM-free Ireland (conference chair) + others to be announced.

Registration:

€450 institutions • €200 individuals • €100 concession. You can also register for individual sessions. Tel (0404) 43 885

For details on how to register, please download draft programme from
http://www.gmfreeireland.org/conference/GreenIrelandDra...t.pdf.

Sponsorship:

International media coverage will boost any organisation seeking recognition as an Irish leader. For enquiries call +353 (0)404 43885.

The conference is co-hosted by the GM-free Ireland Network & An Taisce / the National Trust for Ireland.