It has been announced that Ireland will be the venue for the 2008 Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference, the first time the country has hosted the event.

The conference is the largest agricultural biotech conference in the world, and is said to provide a unique opportunity for Irish academia and business sectors to discuss the issues, options and challenges being met by the biotechnology industry.

Biotechnology has numerous applications and is thought to have the potential to radically improve the entire food production chain.

Chairman for the 2008 event, head of Teagasc Crops Research Centre, Jimmy Burke, said: “This conference offers a great platform to showcase our growing life sciences industries. Various technology Foresight reports for Ireland have identified biotechnology as one of the core technologies which our country and Irish industry must now embrace.”

“These reports have also identified the agri-food sector as one that can benefit significantly from the tremendous potential offered by modern developments in biotechnology.”

The event will take place from August 24-27 next year at the UCC Campus in Cork City.