Ireland’s farming sector is well-placed to turn climate challenges into opportunities for adding value to agri-food products it exports around the globe, according to Mark Lyons, president and CEO of the US-based nutrition company Alltech.

Lyons argued that the opportunities of improving sustainability metrics while keeping farmers profitable should remain in focus as Irish agriculture finds itself a “little bit at a crossroads” at the same time that global demand for food is on the rise.

Irish farmers' role to play will be to supply high quality food to satisfy this demand, the CEO said.

His comments were made during the Agricultural Science Association’s 2024 conference in Kilkenny on Thursday, where Lyons highlighted that the world’s population is expected to hit 10bn by 2060 and that this will mean upping food production by 70%.

“The next 30 years are not just the most important 30 years there have ever been in agriculture, they are the most important 30 years there will ever be,” he said.

“We are not just talking about food security; we always think about the caloric production we need. What we really need to focus on is the nutrient quality and I think this is where the opportunity for Ireland comes in."

Well-placed to move

Ireland is better set to build a more outward-focused and export diversified agri-food sector than other countries, Lyons told conference attendees.

“And also realise something I noticed when living in China, that Ireland sits in a unique and I think every privileged place when we see many of the threats and many of the conflicts in global agriculture today, Ireland can sit apart,” he commented.

The Alltech CEO cited the decline in exports of US beef and other agri-food goods to China from 2017 onwards which resulted from the heightened trade tensions to emerge between the two nations on the back of former-president Donald Trump’s policies on China.

Brazil subsequently doubled the value of its agricultural output ending up on the Chinese market as US volumes fell.

He said that to ensure future growth, Ireland should not lose sight of Asian markets, explaining that “we don’t need to be volume producers, we can very much think about the highest-value element."

“These are niches and areas that Ireland can certainly focus on… and we need to make sure that we are seeing the opportunities and not just focusing on legislation.”

What’s wanted?

The global consumer will expect food’s quality, traceability sustainability standards to meet high expectations, Lyons continued.

“But more than anything today, is that first thing, it’s value. They are looking in their pocket as they notice the impact of inflation and we have to make sure that the we meet that first credential, meaning the value that they see,” he added.