Thursday January 01 1970
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, Confιdιration 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.