27th February 2025
Written by: Carmen Girón Domínguez (MTU) and Thomas McCarthy (Teagasc)
On 27th February 2025, the Irish BBioNets team (MTU and Teagasc) had the opportunity to host the first Irish Info-Day at the “Industrial Hemp Conference: Opportunities for Agriculture and Other Sectors” in Dublin, Ireland. The conference organised by Barry Caslin from Teagasc, with support from hemp sector experts such as Charles Kovess, Edward Hanbidge, and larry McGarry, provided a platform for valuable discussions.
During the second panel discussion, the BBioNets project coordinator introduced the BBT Assessment Tool, which assesses the potential of Bio-Based Technologies (BBTs) using knowledge developed by and collected across EIP-AGRI Operational Groups (OGs), other projects and industries.
Figure 1: 2nd panel discussion: Bioplastics to Bioeconomy – Hemp’s role in sustainable transformation.
Experts at the conference emphasised hemp’s versatility and numerous potential applications for all parts of the plant. Despite Ireland’s capacity to leverage hemp for its circular bioeconomy, the need for biomass processing machinery, particularly for decortication, remains a significant challenge.
The BBioNets team highlighted the SCARABEO Operational Group (OG), identifying it as one of the top 10 most suitable project types for the Irish Bioeconomy due to the similarity of its experiences with hemp. This consideration was brought to the attention of the Irish team by Vita Maria Cristiana Moliterni from CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of the Agricultural Economy), Italy. Ms Moliterni and other researchers, farmers and organisations involved in that OG, faced a similar challenge: processing hemp biomass for the textile industry. This led to the funding of their first OG, SCARABEO, in 2017, marking the beginning of their successful engagement in the hemp sector. Subsequent funding was secured for another OG project, CATERPILLAR, and a national project, OVHERSEEDS. These projects paved the way for further national initiatives, such as WaterRetting4.0, and potential international collaborations.
This trajectory illustrates how small-scale, regional OG projects are the first step towards a great future, numerous collaborations and improvements across several industries, while promoting environmental sustainability and local biomass valorisation – a crucial opportunity for Ireland.
In addition to participating in the panel discussion, the Irish BBioNets team hosted an Info-Day with a dedicated booth and distributed project materials to farmers and other stakeholders. With 95 people attending the event on that day, approximately 20% of them representing the primary producer sector, the team successfully distributed BBioNets’ promotional items, including coasters, bags, and pouches made from sustainable materials. Furthermore, the event resulted in new members joining the Irish FAN.
Figure 2: Irish BBioNets team on the conference.