UCC winners at agri-food debate

UCC can add another feather to its bow.

A team from the university was recently announced as the winners of the 10th Annual Great Agri-Food debate.

They defeated UCD in what the judges described as a tightly contested and high-quality grand final.

UCC were declared the winners having successfully proposed the motion that ‘Artificial Intelligence will create opportunities for farms to improve productivity sustainably and must be adopted as a matter of national policy’.

The team from UCC included team captain Aoife Lynch from Callan in Kilkenny, co-speakers Anna Ryan (from Glenville in Cork), Apoorva Unde (Kilkenny city), Claudine Lynch (Ennis, Clare), and researcher Yuelin Zhan, who is from Beijing in China and studying Food Science & Technology.

The four UCC speakers are all fourth year Nutritional Sciences students at the university.

Organised by Dawn Meats and co-sponsored by McDonald’s, the Great Agri-Food Debate provides an opportunity for agriculture students from colleges and universities in Ireland and the UK to compete by debating topical issues relevant to the agri-food sector.

In total, seven teams across Ireland and the UK entered competition.

Richard Clinton, Group Commercial Director at Dawn Meats, said: “(This competition is) a unique opportunity for us to meet and hear from the next generation of agri-food leaders on the issues and challenges that are crucial to the future of our industry.

“The debates are always of a high standard and the commitment and hard work of the debaters, their researchers and their lecturers is always impressive. We take great pride in continuing this tradition and hope new voices will continue to be inspired to take part in the years to come.”