Irish universities advance to final of Dawn Meats’ 10th Great Agri-Food Debate
UCD, SETU, CAFRE and ATU will face-off in the final of Great Agri-Food Debate
Four Irish universities have advanced to the final of the Great Agri-Food Debate, organised by Dawn Meats and co-sponsored by McDonald’s.
Seven colleges and universities across the island of Ireland – University College Cork (UCC), University College Dublin (UCD), Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT), College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Munster Technological University (MTU), Atlantic Technological University (ATU), and the reigning champions South East Technological University (SETU) – competed in this year’s heats for a place in the final.
The participating teams debated motions on sustainability, agricultural policy, and global supply-chain risks.
UCD successfully opposed the motion: Organic farming is more sustainable than conventional farming, defeating UCD. Susanna Kelly led the win as the UCD team captain, while Aoife Lynch, UCC, was awarded Best Speaker.
SETU successfully proposed the motion: The EUDR will not improve deforestation risks globally, opposed by DkIT. Best speaker was awarded to Ellen Doherty, SETU captain.
Lead by captain Caleb Orr, CAFRE successfully proposed the motion: EU/UK budgetary pressures and changing priorities are a greater risk to UK / Irish farming than the Mercosur agreement, defeating MTU. Jessica Cuthbertson, CAFRE, was awarded Best Speaker.
Ahead of the heats taking place, a random draw was conducted by Paul Nolan, Group Development Manager at Dawn Meats, whereby Atlantic Technological University (ATU) received a bye.
The winners of each heat will advance to the final of the Great Agri-Food Debate which will take place at SETU in County Waterford in February 2026. The event will mark ten years of the Great Agri-Food Debate, a landmark year for the competition which brings together students from colleges and universities across Ireland the UK to debate topical issues within the agri-food sector.
Marking the 10th iteration of the competition, the Great Agri-Food Debate continues to strengthen the talent pipeline for the agri-food sector by promoting critical thinking, communication skills, and informed discussion on the challenges and opportunities shaping the industry.
Richard Clinton, Group Commercial Director of Dawn Meats, said: “We’re proud to bring together students from across Ireland to compete in the 10th edition of the Great Agri-Food Debate. Year-on-year, we see a high calibre of students participating in our debates, demonstrating their innovative thinking and deep understanding of issues shaping our industry. The quality of debates in this year’s heats has been outstanding, and it is clear that the future of the agri-food sector is in capable hands. Dawn Meats would like to congratulate all participating teams and wish the finalists the very best of luck as they prepare for the final.”
Eva Cooney, Director at Rabobank said: “I am delighted to support the 10th edition of Dawn Meats’ Great Agri-Food Debate. As chair of the judging panel, I was extremely impressed by the high calibre of the competitors. The standard of debate and confidence shown throughout the competition so far demonstrates just how strong the next generation of industry leaders will be.”
