Autumn 2025 Newsletter

Welcome to the Autumn 2025 Edition

Dear Members and Friends,
Welcome to the Autumn 2025 edition of the AgTech Ireland Newsletter.
This summer once again highlighted the value of collaboration between our members, farmers, and research partners. At the Teagasc Moorepark Dairy Open Day, AgTech Ireland member companies were able to showcase their innovations in farm sustainability to an audience of progressive, business-focused dairy farmers. The strong engagement was made possible through our close partnership with Teagasc, and the feedback we received confirmed that this was a highly rewarding platform for our members.
At the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan earlier this month, it was evident that farm incomes have strengthened, supported by firmer commodity prices and a period of more stable—though still elevated—costs. However, farmers’ willingness to make significant on-farm investments is being tempered by policy uncertainties around Nitrates, TAMS and future CAP funding. Depending on how these issues evolve, the landscape could shift considerably—not only for farming and food production, but also for the wider agtech sector that supports them.
Against this backdrop, the role of AgTech Ireland and its members is more important than ever. Farmers will continue to need practical, proven innovations that help them remain competitive, sustainable, and resilient in the face of change.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to AgTech Ireland. I hope you find this edition insightful, and as always, we welcome your ideas, feedback, and involvement.
With best regards,
Lloyd Pearson
Chairperson, AgTech Ireland

National Ploughing Championship 2025

Policy uncertainty dominates despite strong incomes and agribusiness optimism

Farmers attended Ploughing 2025 in good numbers.  A little bit more mud and less sunshine than last year did not stop upwards of 200,000 visitors from coming to the three-day “Davos of Irish Farming”, to quote an RTE’s Morning Ireland presenter.

The mood of farmers was one of caution.  Despite a relatively good year for livestock farmers’ margins at least – with strong milk, beef and sheep prices, stabilised, though still high, costs, and reduced debt – policy uncertainty looms large. 

The biggest concern by far is the possibility that the nitrates derogation may not be renewed.  Ireland is the only country in the EU to still benefit from it, and retaining it depends more on politics than it does on scientific justification.  Government, Teagasc and the farming lobby are making a persuasive, science-based and forceful case, but will other EU countries whose agreement is required for the renewal of the derogation see it (wrongly) as giving Irish farmers an unfair advantage over their own? Other less immediately threatening, but just as worrisome concerns related to succession, attraction and retention of quality workers also preoccupies farmers.

L to r: AgTech Ireland COO Catherine Lascurettes; Dutch Embassy Agricultural Policy Advisor Niall Hurson, HE Ambassador Maaike van Koldam; UK and Ireland Agricultural Counsellor Philip de Jong, AgTech Ireland board member Padraig Hennessy; Chair Lloyd Pearon; and board member Ronan Boyle.

The event attracted many politicians and presidential election candidates, but also quite a few diplomatic representatives from various countries curious to learn more about Irish agriculture and engage with its stakeholders.  We were delighted to engage again with Ambassador to Ireland for the Kingdom of the Netherlands HE Maaike van Koldam, together with Agricultural Counsellor for UK and Ireland Philip de Jong and Agricultural Policy Advisor Niall Hurson. Meanwhile, the mood among agribusinesses, including agtech companies, as measured by the Ifac Food and Agribusiness Report 2025  launched at the Ploughing is rather more optimistic.  80% of business leaders are  positive about the next 12 months, with the launch of new products or services, increased demand and exports to new markets the top three reasons for this optimism. However, some of the concerns around policy uncertainty with global trade and tariffs, increased input costs and the challenges of recruitment and retention are shared by the sector.  80% report an increase in costs in the last year, and 44% have delayed investment due to uncertainty.

This year once again, AgTech Ireland was strongly represented at the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena, with many of our member companies showcasing their solutions both there and across the wider Ploughing site. Agtech companies continue to push boundaries, developing innovations that help farmers not only stay competitive but also thrive in a rapidly changing environment. We were especially proud to see two of our members recognised with top awards.

Winners of the EI Innovation Awards: l to r, Dr Dan Ryan, ScanInsights;  Jenny Melia, EI CEO; Stephen Fagan, GlasPort Bio; Alan Dillon, TD, Minister of state at Dept of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment; James Greevy, Herdwatch.

Founder member Herdwatch received the EI Innovation Champion Award for Herdi, a new AI-powered extension to the Herdwatch app. Herdi is designed to support livestock producers by harnessing the data already being gathered on farms and transforming it into practical insights to guide smarter management decisions.

Another member company, GlasPort Bio, was awarded the Green Impact Award for GasAbate, their breakthrough manure management system that helps farmers reduce emissions while improving nutrient use efficiency.

Finally, ScanInsight secured the Start-Up Innovator of the Year Award, a fantastic achievement that highlights the dynamism and creativity emerging from the Irish agtech sector. 

Congratulations to all these cutting-edge innovators, whose work demonstrates the vital role technology, including in many cases the inclusion of AI powered tools, plays in delivering practical, sustainable, and valuable solutions for farmers.

Annual General Meeting – 21/10/2025

Members only

AgTech Ireland members are invited to attend our AGM on 21st October 2025 evening in central Dublin – an invitation will issue to member companies directly with the details of location, timing, voting and nomination procedures for board vacancies.

On the agenda, an election for two Board members, a review of past activity and a presentation of our plans for 2026 and beyond.

The AGM will be preceded a round table/fireside chat with Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon, and followed by a social/networkign evening in Leinster House’s public Daíl Bar. Both the AGM and the evening in Leinster House are members only events, voting is restricted to one representative per fully paid-up member company.

“The audience is excellent and highly focused”
AgTech Ireland @ Moorepark Dairy Open Day 2025

This year, once again, AgTech Ireland—through our strong and collaborative partnership with Teagasc—was able to secure a dedicated exhibition space for 21 of our member companies to showcase their on-farm sustainability innovations. Few events offer such a relevant and business-focused audience as the Moorepark Open Day, and the several thousand farmers in attendance represented exactly the kind of progressive, investment-ready group our members seek to engage. These are farmers with both the means and the motivation to invest in their future, and their openness to adopting new practices and technologies chimes with the insights presented on the day by Teagasc researchers.

The breadth of focus was impressive: from advances in grassland management, infrastructure, and breeding, to the economics of farming, environmental best practice, and One Health approaches. Equally important were the practical discussions on safer and more effective and appealing ways of working on farms. Across all these areas, the consistent emphasis was on innovation and the adoption of better, more sustainable practices and technologies.

AgTech Ireland remains deeply committed to this model of collaboration—with Teagasc in particular, but also with other leading research organisations. Our mission is not only to create opportunities for agtech companies to have their solutions independently validated and presented directly to farmers, but also to strengthen the two-way dialogue that must exist between innovators, scientists, regulators, and farm clients. Only by working together can we ensure that proven solutions reach the farm gate and deliver meaningful impact for Irish agriculture.

Some of our plans for 2025/26

  • AGM in Dublin City Centre on 21st October 2025.
  • On the same evening, fireside chat with Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon, followed by networking event at Leinster House’s public Daíl bar including engagement with politicians.
  • Final episode of joint AgTech Ireland/AgriTech New Zealand Global Agtech Exchange, on the topic of the pipeline of innovation – Late November, date TBC.
  • Members only networking event with discussion panel hosted by member company – November/December 2025, date TBC.
  • Members only January 2026 field trip – return to Brussels to engage with EU Commission, MEPs and the farming lobby regarding the 2028-34 CAP currently being negotiated and how this might impact on-farm investment and technology adoption.  Visit of a veal farm in Belgium or the Netherlands – relevant to Ireland’s dairy calf production.
  • 2026 AgTech Ireland Conference – date/venue/theme TBC – to coincide with Ireland’s presidency of the European Union – July to December 2026.
  • Continued collaborations with Teagasc to create exhibition opportunities at relevant Open Days, and with the ConnectEd programme of webinars, podcasts and training days. Details TBC.

AgTech Ireland member companies are recruiting!

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