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Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Andrew Doyle, T.D., was in Rome this week to represent Ireland at Conference of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the organisation's highest governing body. This year’s theme is “Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security”.

“Alleviating the effects of climate change and contributing to food security is something we must all work towards” Minister Doyle said “In Ireland our ambition is to be a global leader in sustainable food production. This means that, not only must our actions be coordinated and ambitious, they must also be environmentally, socially and economically responsive.”

Ireland has been a committed partner of the FAO since its foundation in 1946. The FAO deals with the challenges of global food insecurity, with its mandate to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy.
As well as holding a number of trade bi-laterals with various countries, Minister Doyle met with the FAO Director-General, Jose Graziano da Silva, to discuss Ireland’s support for FAO’s work. The Minister noted that “Voluntary funding from Ireland has supported FAO’s work in response to the Syria crisis, as well as innovative projects aimed at reducing food loss and waste, and developing inclusive business models, in Africa.”
While in Rome, Minister Doyle also contributed to the second African Union - European Union Agriculture Ministerial Conference – “Making Sustainable Agriculture a future for youth in Africa” - on the issues of climate smart agriculture and the need to reduce food loss and waste.