Second Conference of the Irish Society for Information Technology in Agriculture (ISITA)

"IT Driving Developments in Agriculture, Food and the Environment"
Friday 27 November 1998
Spawell Leisure Centre, Templeogue, Dublin 16.

Sponsored by:
AIB Bank
Irish Farmers Journal
Irish Farm Computers

10.00 Registration and coffee

10.30 Opening of Conference
Mr Ned O'Keeffe, TD, Minister of State for the Department of Agriculture and Food
Welcome and Presidential Address: Pat Murphy, President of ISITA

Chairperson: Paul Fagan, MD, Irish Farm Computers
10.45 APHIS: Animal and Public Health Information System
Ken Elliot, Divisional Veterinary Officer - Computerisation, Department of Agriculture, Northern Ireland (DANI)
11.30 IT applications in a dispersed organisation: the Teagasc experience
Pat Murphy, IT Specialist - Teagasc South
12.00 IT and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland
Martin McGannon, Head of IT, Food Safety Authority of Ireland

12.45 - 2.00 LUNCH

Chairperson: Brian Morrissey, Web Manager, Irish Farmer's Journal
2.00 Strategic Developments in IT in the Department of Agriculture and Food
John Mc Carthy, Principal Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food
2.45 Applications of Advanced Computing Technology to the agriculture, food, and fishery sectors
Jim Sexton, ICeTACT: Irish Centre for the Transfer of Advanced Computing Technology, Trinity College Dublin
3.15 Changing roles of IT in Food Distribution and Marketing Channels
John O' Callaghan, IT Director of SuperValu-Centra
3.45 Open Forum (Note: there will also be short question & answer sessions after each presentation)

5.00 Conclusion

IT and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland
Martin McGannon, Head of IT, Food Safety Authority of Ireland
The mission statement of the FSAI is "to protect the health of consumers of food in Ireland and of consumers of Irish food abroad, by ensuring that the best food safety and hygiene practices are observed in Ireland." To establish the burden of foodborne disease in Ireland, identify trends in enteric pathogens in humans and animals, detect outbreaks and emerging pathogens and evaluate interventions will require efficient surveillance systems. To this end the FSAI has initiated a pilot project to electronically link hospitals in two Health Boards with the local Public Health Departments and the FSA1. It is hoped to electronically link all clinical laboratories, food laboratories and veterinary laboratories with the FSAI, the National Disease Surveillance Centre and the relevant public health professionals and Government Departments in an intranet loop. Effective rapid communication to permit early intervention is the key to a successful surveillance and early warning system.
In addition, monitoring of food safety activity throughout the country will require activity reports which, if they are not to become a chore distracting from core actions, will have to become automated.
Finally as a method of providing information to everyone interested in food safety from primary producers to consumers the FSAI has set up its own web page. Progress on all initiatives will be described.

ICeTACT: Applications of Advanced Computing Technology to the agriculture, food, and fishery sectors
Jim Sexton or Audry Crosbie, ICeTACT , Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College, Queen's University and Dublin Chamber of Commerce are working with a network of 20 computer groups across Europe. This network, funded by Esprit co-ordinates projects with SMEs with the aim of demonstrating how advanced computing solutions can make a positive contribution to their business. The Irish Technology Transfer node has compiled some examples of how supercomputers can be of benefit to the agri-business. These will be demonstrated.

Strategic Developments in IT in the Department of Agriculture and Food
John Mc Carthy, Principal Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food
The paper will cover IT developments in the Department of Agriculture and Food since the 1991 IT plan was developed, events which impacted on the delivery of the different elements in the plan, assessment of the current position and future challenges. It will also cover the technical architecture in use and the present and proposed future software environment.

More to come.....
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Important: Do NOT confuse this venue with that of the Spa Hotel, Lucan!!

HOW TO GET THERE
From Dublin City and environs
Get to Templeogue (on the Templeogue Road from Terenure or Rathfarnham, etc.)

Go through Templeogue on the Templeogue Road until you come to the first Roundabout
(about 2 km). You can see the Spawell Leisure Center from here, diagonally across the Roundabout.
Take second turn left off the Roundabout intoWellington Lane.
The Spawell Leisure Centre is immediately on your left.

From the M50
At the Tallaght end of the M50, take first left at the Roundabout into Tallaght Road towards Templeogue.
At the first Roundabout (about 0.5 km), take first left intoWellington Lane.
The Spawell Leisure Centre is immediately on your left.