About this Event
The 7th UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science Biennial Research Symposium, titled “Ruminants at the Heart of Irish Agriculture”, will be held at the UCD Sutherland School of Law on Thursday, the 10th of December 2026.
This is a special Centenary Research Symposium as we celebrate 100 years of agricultural education, research, and innovation at the University. We are delighted to welcome Martin Heydon TD, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who will open the Symposium and deliver the keynote address.
In celebration of the School’s Centenary, the Symposium will explore the role of ruminants over the years, including their contributions to the agri-food industry and society. It will examine how ruminant agriculture has developed in Ireland and consider UCD’s role in shaping its future.
This free event will showcase ongoing research from experts in the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, along with insights from prominent figures in academia, industry, and agricultural media.
The first panel session will discuss UCD’s contributions to ruminants in Irish Agriculture and UCD’s role in developing the Irish ruminant sector. The second session will focus on ruminant animal production and its environmental impact, including future sustainable ruminant production systems. The third session will address the role of ruminants in healthy diets and sustainable societies.
We will also welcome Professor P.J. Matthews, Professor of Irish Literature, Drama, and Culture at UCD, and founding member and Director of the Creative Futures Academy. P.J. will showcase a new RTÉ documentary, “The Cow: the Animal that Made Us”. He will be joined by the producer, Mike Bluett and best-selling Irish author John Connell, who wrote “The Cow Book: A Story of Life on an Irish Farm”, which inspired the documentary.
Poster session:
The Symposium poster session, open to Early Career Researchers, will provide an opportunity to share expertise and highlight UCD research at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science. Posters will be displayed in the foyer of the UCD Sutherland School of Law.
Posters abstracts must be submitted using the Poster Abstract submission form, entitled ‘Poster(AuthorName).docx’ and sent to [email protected] by 5pm Friday 4th December.
Centenary Research Symposium: Poster Abstract Form
The Full programme of speaker and panelists will be available shortly.
Event venue & nearby stays
UCD Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
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