Meat Technology Ireland, a strategic research and innovation base in beef and sheep meat processing in Ireland, was launched last week by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O Connor TD and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD.
Meat Technology Ireland (MTI) is a new industry-led initiative with significant funding from Enterprise Ireland that will create a ‘one-stop shop’ for meat processing research and technology. The launch took place at the Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15, last Thursday.
Meat Technology Ireland emerged from a five-year research vision from IBEC’s Meat Industry Ireland industry group which was presented to Enterprise Ireland. John Malone was appointed as Chairman of Meat Technology Ireland last October and Dr. John Colreavy was appointed as Director.
Meat Technology Ireland is an €8.1 million five-year research and innovation programme, developed by industry and co-funded by Enterprise Ireland and a consortium of nine beef and sheepmeat processing companies.
The MTI is hosted by Teagasc at its Ashtown Food Research Facility in Dublin with Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Dublin City University (DCU), University College Cork (UCC) and the Irish Cattle Breeders Federation (ICBF) involved as research providers.
The companies behind the initiative are ABP Ireland, Ashbourne Meat Processors, Dawn Meats Group, Dunbia (Ireland), Hilton Foods Ireland, Irish Country Meats, Kepak Group, Liffey Meats, and Slaney Foods International.
Speaking at the launch, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O Connor said, “Innovation 2020, the Government’s strategy for research and development, science and technology, recognises the importance of innovation for the agri-food sector. Establishing Meat Technology Ireland, through Enterprise Ireland is one of the key initiatives under the Action Plan for Jobs, and will help to build a competitive advantage in the food sector, through investment in research and innovation capability. Its importance is to introduce companies to the expertise in research institutions with the aim of generating innovative technologies leading to job creation.”
IBEC’s Meat Industry Ireland Chairman, Phillip Carroll added, “The output of Meat Technology Ireland (MTI) will be an important enabler for further developing Irish beef and sheepmeat exports, meeting marketplace requirements and growing value. The involvement of nine major beef and sheepmeat processing companies in this industry-led collaborative innovation initiative is a clear demonstration of the Industry’s commitment to delivering on the growth potential of our sector and its strategic role in economic regional development.”
[Source:-businessworld]