Waterford Institute of Technology and Dawn Meats join forces on wetlands study
Three years ago, Dawn Meats installed a seven-acre integrated wetland and eco-park at the facility.
Now, four WIT students will carry out this assessment in the coming months, results to be available this autumn.
The students are Michael Kenny, PJ McGrath, Ronan Kennedy, and Lyndon Cox, BSc students in land management in agriculture at WIT.
Their report will detail how the eco-system has progressed in the last two years.
Tony Woodcock, course leader for the BSc in agriculture at WIT, said: “It is great for our students to have the opportunity to work with Dawn Meats on a live project.
“At WIT we have a particular interest in bio-diversity and will continue to follow progress on this site.”
The study is being given a timely launch, with global governments and community groups due to fete World Wetlands Day tomorrow.
It marks Ramsar Convention in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, a treaty on preservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
World Wetlands Day aims to highlight the importance of wetlands, and the role they play in providing natural sponges against flooding, hosting a huge variety of life, and storing carbon dioxide to regulate climate change.
Dawn Meats reduced carbon emissions by avoiding the need to mechanically treat wastewater, while also providing an opportunity to enhance biodiversity at the site.
Dawn and WIT carried out an initial survey of the wetland in March 2014, and this new study will assess how the health of the eco-system has progressed over the last two years.
Richard Clinton, group commercial director with Dawn Meats, said: “We are delighted to once again work with WIT.
“Dawn Meats is committed to working together with the local community supporting the environment and this co-operation continues to grow in effectiveness and importance.”
Dawn Meats conducts a multi-annual biodiversity action plan across all of its facilities.
It works with 15,000 Irish farmers from whom it sources grass-fed cattle and lamb.
