Journalist Helen Carroll has produced, presented, reported and researched on national radio and television for both RTE and TV3. She is probably best known as a presenter on Ear to the Ground, RTE Television’s Farming and Food programme. Her work in the print media has seen her write news, features, reviews and a weekly column for both local and national publications.

Bridget Lynch is a Senior Research Officer in the Department of Environment Soils and Land Use Department in Teagasc Johnstown Castle. Bridget has worked in the area of diverse pastures for over 15 years and currently leads BNIPASTURES (Ireland-New Zealand Joint Research Initiative) and the Irish collaboration in FERTIGO a Green ERA-Hub programme. She leads the agronomic aspects of the Agricultural Catchments Programme and manages the agronomy, soil science, gaseous emissions and socio economic teams in the programme. In addition, she works in the area of translating agricultural innovation into farm practice.

Karl Richards is a Senior Principal Researcher Officer and he is the head of the Teagasc Climate Centre. His research focused on the area of nitrogen cycling including the impact of management practices on reducing Nitrogen losses (nitrous oxide, nitrate leaching and ammonia). He has published extensively on measures to reduce nitrous oxide and nitrate emissions, including leading the protected urea research. He has worked on a range of Internationally funded competitive research projects, was a member of the EU Nitrogen Expert panel, a national representative on the Global Research Alliance and has published over 180 scientific papers.

Dominika Krol is a Senior Research Officer at the Teagasc Crops, Environment and Land-Use programme based in Johnstown Castle. Dominika leads a research programme focused on agricultural gaseous emissions. Her research interest include impact of management of organic manures and synthetic fertilisers on emissions of nitrous oxide and ammonia in grassland systems. She is contributing to quantification and mitigation of these emissions and refinement of national emission inventories. Dominika is a Lead for the Nitrogen Research Pillar in the Teagasc Climate Centre.

Dr. Stan Lalor is the Director of Knowledge Transfer with Teagasc, which includes responsibility for the Advisory and Education activities and programmes in Teagasc.

He has previously worked in both advisory and research roles in Teagasc and also has experience working in private industry working in the agri-supply sector. He also previously worked in the Teagasc Research Centre at Johnstown Castle, focussing primarily on research areas of manure and nutrient management and soil fertility.

He is a native of Co. Laois in the midlands of Ireland, having grown up on a family farm with mixed livestock.

He graduated from University College Dublin with a B.Agr.Sc in Animal & Crop Production followed by an M.Agr.Sc in Soil Science. He later completed a PhD with Wageningen University, The Netherlands majoring on the impact of manure application methods on nitrogen efficiency in grassland.

David Yáñez-Ruiz is Professor in Animal Science at the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) in Granada, Spain. Previously he has worked at Aberystwyth University (Uk, 2003-2007) and as research visitor at CSIRO-University of Queensland (2019-2020). He coordinates a team of 15 people working on nutritional management in ruminants to improve the sustainability of livestock production systems. His research places special focus on the development of feed additives to reduce enteric methane emissions. He has coordinated more than 50 research contracts with livestock feed companies, participles in several EU funded projects (HoloRuminant, Pathways, Step-Up, Scale-it) and coordinates the Horizon Europe project Re-Livestock. He is the chair of the Feed and Nutrition Network of the Global Research Alliance and coordinated the flagship project on ’Technical guidelines to develop feed additives to reduce enteric methane emissions’.

Dr. Paul Crosson is Head of Enterprise and a Principal Research Scientist with Teagasc Grange where his research involves the economic and environmental assessment of beef cattle production systems. Paul is a graduate of University College Dublin from where received a BAgrSc and a PhD in Agricultural Systems Analysis. He also has Postgraduate Diplomas in Leadership Development and Data Analytics. He has collaborated with the Irish Department of Agriculture, Bord Bia (the Irish Food Board) and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation on national beef industry initiatives. He is an Editor of the international Elsevier scientific journal Agricultural Systems, was a Fulbright Scholar with the USDA and is a past-president of the Irish Grassland Association.

Stephanie leads the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industry's international and domestic climate investment programmes, including research, infrastructure, data systems, and commercial partnerships. The New Zealand Government has committed more than NZ$400 million over the next four years to continue to accelerate the development and availability of new tools and technology to help the country’s farmers reduce agricultural emissions. Stephanie is focussed on getting the investment, policy, and regulatory systems in place to make low emissions farming a reality. Stephanie is the New Zealand council representative for the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases. She is a career public servant based in Wellington, New Zealand.

Conor is a Professor with the Irish climate research centre ICARUS at Maynooth University. He is a leading Irish expert on climate change impacts and adaptation, having led the development of Volume 3 ‘Being Prepared for Ireland’s Future Climate’ as part of the first Irish Climate Change Assessment Report. He sits on the Adaptation Committee of the Climate Change Advisory Council, advising on adaptation across all sectors of Irish society, economy and environment. He has worked extensively in the area of hydroclimate with key national, regional and local stakeholders in Ireland. He has published >120 papers in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Science, Nature, and Nature Climate Change. He also leads the MSc Climate Change at Maynooth University.

Matthew is an Associate Professor in Plant Ecophysiology in the Trinity College Dublin, School of Natural Sciences, Botany Discipline. His research addresses the global challenge of climate change by investigating the role of the terrestrial biosphere on climate feedback cycles. Using an integrated experimental and model-based approach, he studies the effects of land cover, land management, disturbance and climate on the exchange of carbon, water, energy and other radiatively important greenhouse gases between the biosphere and atmosphere. This work allows him to quantify the relative warming or cooling effect an ecosystem can have on the atmosphere, to better understand the ecophysiological drivers of carbon and greenhouse gas dynamics and to help develop suitable land management tools that are centred on the role of terrestrial ecosystems in the mitigation of climate change.

Dr Siobhán Jordan leads Teagasc’s Technology Transfer and Commercialisation Office, where she plays a central role in advancing the organisation’s innovation and sustainability agenda. With a background in biotechnology, process engineering, and a PhD in human genetics from Trinity College Dublin, Siobhán brings a unique blend of scientific expertise and strategic leadership. Before joining Teagasc, she was the founding Director of Interface in Scotland, a national initiative that connected businesses with world-leading research across universities and research institutes. She has served on numerous policy and innovation forums, promoting collaboration between academia and industry.

At Teagasc, she leads Engage@Teagasc, supporting the transfer and commercialisation of research to generate economic and societal impact. She also spearheads AgNav, a farmer-focused digital sustainability platform co-developed with Bord Bia and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), designed to support the delivery of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan targets through science-based, data-driven decision-making.

Prof. Peter Thorne is the director of the ICARUS. climate research centre at Maynooth university. He was a section facilitator for the recent IPCC synthesis report. He is a member of the climate change advisory council and chair of its adaptation committee. He is also the deputy chair of the global climate observing system.

Ken Byrne is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Bernal Institute at the University of Limerick. His background is in forestry and soil science and he has >30 years research experience on the effect of land use on soil carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions with particular expertise in peatland and forest ecosystems. He is a Lead Author of three Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and was a member of the IPCC team awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. He has also contributed to the work of the International Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). He is currently leading the €2.7million DAFM funded PeatFor project ‘Management of Peatland Forests for Climate and Biodiversity’.

Laura Burke is the Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), appointed in 2011 and served as a Director within the EPA since 2004. As Director General she has the responsibility to lead and strategically manage the EPA. Laura was the Chair of the European Environment Agency (EEA) Management Board from 2017 to 2023. Laura is a member of the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) and a member of the High Level Implementation Committee of ‘Food Vision 2030’, the Irish Agri-Food Sector Strategy.

Prior to joining the EPA, she worked in the private sector. Laura is a graduate chemical engineer of University College Dublin (UCD), holds an MSc from Trinity College, Dublin, is a Fellow and is President of Engineers Ireland and is a Chartered Director. She is a member of the Board of Genio a non-profit European organisation. In 2016 Laura was awarded the UCD Engineering Graduates Association (EGA) Distinguished Graduate Award.

Prof. Frank O’Mara is the Director of Teagasc, Ireland’s national agri-food research, advisory and education agency. He is an agricultural scientist and sustainable livestock systems specialist, with more than 30 years of experience in scientific and senior managerial capacities in Agri-Food research, education and development institutions. He has a comprehensive knowledge of national and international Agri-Food industries and sustainable farming, and a history of achievement in the initiation, development and application of new technology in the industry. He became President of the European Animal Task Force in 2020, and is a board member of Euragri. He is an ex officio member of Ireland’s Climate Change Advisory Council.

John Walsh is a dairy farmer, and operates the farm with his family near Ballylooby in south Tipperary. They operate a spring calving grass-based system, milking 165 cows. In recent years they have put greater focus on sustainability with a big emphasis on clover incorporation and reducing chemical nitrogen fertiliser applications. The farm operates a strategic fertiliser application system on perennial ryegrass white clover swards. Where sufficient clover is present in the sward, chemical nitrogen applications are reduced or no nitrogen is applied for the season. This reduces nitrogen inputs on the farm, therefore lowering our environmental impact. There are also some multi species swards on the farm, which encourage greater soil biodiversity. Additionally, we have red clover pastures on our out blocks dedicated to silage production under low nitrogen application. Ensuring optimal soil fertility is also an essential factor in efficient nutrient use to maximise sward productivity. Soil analysis is conducted annually on farm with the current farm status being optimal for pH, P and K.

Milking 160 cows, farmed on about 86ha near Golden, Co. Tipperary. When you looking at how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on dairy farms, Edwin Thompson is ticking all the boxes.

Edwin has worked hard to maintain a high level of soil fertility, realising that soil fertility is the foundation of his farming system. Soil fertility on this farm is exceptionally good, with 75% of his soils optimum for pH, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). On an individual basis, 90%, 94% and 89% optimum for K, P and pH, respectively. 

Edwin identified areas that he could improve on, in particular reducing his reliance on chemical nitrogen (N). Now spreading about 40% to 50% of what they used to spread of chemical nitrogen. He reduced their chemical nitrogen last year to c. 110 kg of nitrogen / ha. All of the chemical nitrogen is spread in a protected form (NBPT-protected urea).

Edwin’s herd of cows have an EBI of €240, with 2024 heifers being €247.  His milk solids per cow for the last three years were 503 in 2021, 521 in 2022, and 455 in 2023. Edwin places a big emphasis on picking beef sires that have a high Dairy Beef Index (DBI), producing calves with high a high Commercial Beef Value (CBV). 

Edwin and his family are quite happy to leave a little bit of land for nature and for the environment, including hedges, ponds and reed beds. They are not obsessed with farming every square inch of the land and are quite happy to leave areas of the farm for nature.

Sarah O'Neill is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in strategic marketing and global business strategy. Since January 2016, Sarah has held multiple leadership roles at Carbery Group, currently serving as Global Strategy Director. 

Oonagh is the Secretary General of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. Prior to taking up that role Oonagh served as Interim Chair of An Bord Pleanála, on secondment from her role as Deputy Secretary General in the Department of Justice with responsibility for civil justice matters, including immigration, courts and civil and family law. Oonagh had previously held the position of Director General in the Workplace Relations Commission. Before that she worked at a senior level in a number of Government Departments, including the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform, Environment and Foreign Affairs. In her previous time in the Department of the Environment she worked for a number of years on planning policy and legislation and on wildlife conservation.

Oonagh is a graduate of UCC, the College of Europe, Belgium and Poland, and the University of London. She was called to the Bar in 1996. She has an MSc in Business from the Smurfit School in UCD and has been an adjunct professor in the School of Law of UCC since 2017.

Seán was appointed as Tirlán CEO in 2024.  He leads the Co-op’s global strategy, continuing to set the highest standards for food and nutrition through innovation, science and sustainability and is responsible for revenues of over €2.5 billion, exporting to over 100 countries.

Having previously held the role of Director of Strategy with Glanbia Ireland (now Tirlán), he was appointed to the position of Chief Agribusiness Growth Officer in 2018 and Chief Ingredients & Agri Officer in 2022.  Seán joined Glanbia plc in 2006 having worked for eight years as a Strategy Consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He previously worked as a Corporate Development Executive with the Irish Dairy Board (now Ornua).

From a farming background, Seán lives on his family farm in county Offaly along with his wife Fiona and their three children. Seán is an Agricultural Science graduate from University College Dublin and an Executive Director on the Board of Tirlán.

Giulia Bondi is a Senior Researcher at Teagasc, specializing in soil carbon sequestration and carbon dynamics. She leads the Soil Deep Sampling Campaign of the Signpost Programme, focusing on carbon sequestration monitoring across various climates, soil types, and agricultural practices in Ireland. Giulia has managed research activities and funds for national and European projects, including EJP-Soil, on soil carbon, soil health and ecosystem services. Over the years she has established an international network of collaborators and published extensively in top scientific journals. Currently, her research supports agricultural policies, and she actively disseminates her findings to multiple stakeholders.

Bill Callanan. M.Agr.Sc. Chief Inspector with responsibility for provision of scientific advice on Agriculture and the Environment. Assistant Secretary responsibilities include Climate Change, Nitrates and Biodiversity, Livestock Breeding, Horticulture and Crops, Pesticide registration and controls and Feed and Fertiliser.

Marie spent thirty years with the European Commission, ultimately as Director for Renewables, Energy Efficiency and Innovation, and was a leading advocate of future oriented policies and strategies: providing a fair deal for consumers; putting energy efficiency first; and achieving global leadership in renewable energies. Marie is a member of the Governance Committee of MaREI, and an Advisory board member of UCD Energy Institute.

Marie was the first Chairperson of Renewable Energy Ireland - an open partnership of sustainable energy associations working collectively to support the energy transition in Ireland.