Upcoming events
- 30 October 2025: NI Farming Awards
- 11 December 2025: RUAS Winter Fair
Completed Events
- 14-17 May 2025: Balmoral Show
AFBI exhibited at this years Balmoral Show showcasing its cutting-edge research in the areas of sustainable and prosperous farming systems, enhancing the environment and the protection of animal, plant and human health through various exhibits and displays on the stand. Over the 4 days of the show many members of the farming and business community and members of the public called by the AFBI stand this year exhibiting as part of the Government Departments Exhibition. AFBI also were proud to display its model farm of the future which generated lots of interest amongst those attending.
- 3 April 2025: George Scott Robertson Memorial Lecture
AFBI, The Institute for Global Food Security, DAERA and the Ulster Farmers' Union jointly hosted this year’s George Scott Robertson Memorial Lecture, supported by The Gibson Trust, which was delivered by Dr Nicola Ranger of Oxford University. Dr Ranger's lecture was entitled; Managing Nature Based Risks to the Global Economy and Financial System
Dr Ranger is the Director of the Global Finance and Economy Group at the ECI and of the Resilient Planet Finance Lab. She is also Executive Director of the Oxford Martin Systemic Resilience Initiative, co-Director of the UKRI Integrating Finance and Biodiversity Programme and a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking of the Oxford Martin School.
- 25-27 March 2025: "The Omics Days" Conference
The Omics Days was held over 3 days, with a rich and focused program, covering various Omics research topics at the forefront of AFBI's current scientific interest and corporate values. The event attracted attendees from across the globe. The first two days covered a series of plenary talks and short talks delivered by keynote speakers and experts actively contributing to the development and application of Omics technoogies. Q&A sessions and panel exchanges were led by AFBI's principal researchers actors leading to objective discussions and intense assessment of the impacts of Omics on research and statutory testing.
- 27 March 2025: AERA Committee Visit to AFBI Hillsborough
AFBI was pleased to welcome the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to its Hillsborough site. The Committee hosted a meeting in the AFBI Conference room before being given a tour of the research farm gaining an insight into the vital work that the Institute leads on.
- 18 March 2025: UK Dairy Carbon Network Briefing Webinar
A UK Dairy Carbon Network Briefing Webinar for interested Farmers was held on Tuesday 18th March. The UK Dairy Carbon Network is a UK wide innovative project to explore and implement management practices for improving on farm efficiency and reducing GHG?
- Improve efficiency
- Improve profitability
- Network with industry expert’s
- Implement solutions to reduce GHG
- Financial support
- 8 January 2025: Omagh Open Day
AFBI were delighted to again welcome the Association of Veterinary Surgeons Practicing in NI (AVSPNI) to the Omagh Veterinary Laboratory for their annual "Omagh Day" meeting.
- 12 December 2024: RUAS Winter Fair
AFBI exhibited at the annual RUAS Winter Fair at the Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn. Scientists from across the organisation including AFBI Hillsborough and the AFBI Soil Nutrient Health Scheme Team were on hand to meet with farmers and the general public offering advice and an insight into current research undertaken across the organisation.
- 25 November 2024: AFBI/QUB PhD Conference
A successful AFBI/QUB alliance PhD Conference was held in Riddel Hall Belfast celebrating the science and research carried out by QUB and AFBI students. The event was attended by both supervisors and students who presented on a range of scientific disciplines.
- 9 October 2024: NI Farming Awards
At the NI Farming Awards over 200 people from all sections of the agri-food industry came together to honour award winners showcasing excellence within the industry. AFBI were pleased to support the "Unsung Hero" category recognising people who go above and beyond in their work, often without asking for anything in return which was won this year by David Boles. Head of AFBI People and Culture Fiona Campbell presented the award on behalf of AFBI.
- 24-26 September 2024: 7th International COSMOS Workshop
From Research to Operations
AFBI Hillsborough
This workshop was for soil scientists and reviewed research applications of the cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) technology to enable the leap from research to operations, while addressing the key societal challenges and opportunities. View further event information below on the main COSMOS workshop website.
7th International COSMOS Workshop
Farming for the Future Open Days (18 & 19 June 2024)
On 18-19 June AFBI Hillsborough opened its doors for farmers and the wider industry to get the latest updates on research to further enhance the sustainability of dairy, beef and sheep systems.
The first day (18 June) was focused on Dairy with the second (19 June) looking at all aspects of Beef and Sheep enterprises.
Visitors were taken on guided tours with 8 stops on each day different areas of livestock production and management
Videos of all the main presentations are available on the AFBI YouTube Channel in a playlist for each day:
The latest AFBI research can help to drive further improvements in sustainability within dairy, beef and sheep farming systems. Learn how livestock farming systems can transform through improvements in efficiency, as well as the adoption of new ways of working and innovations to reduce emissions and maximise carbon capture within the landscape. Speakers included AFBI scientists and internationally renowned invited experts.
Related AFBI research articles:
- AFBI Open days – How to make the most of early life to improve your future dairy herd
- AFBI Open days - Improving the environmental sustainability of dairy farming through improved nutrition
- Soil Health Research to be Featured at AFBI Open Days in June
- Farming for the Future - Major Open Days at AFBI Hillsborough on 18-19 June
- AFBI Open days to include a showcase of Biomass Crops for Resilient and Climate-Proof Farming
- AFBI Open days - Improving the environmental sustainability of beef farming through improved nutrition
- AFBI Open Days – Tackling Ammonia Emissions from NI Livestock Farming
EurAgri Webinar Series 2024 (9 May 2024)
"Growing Value from Data Entrepreneurship on Rural NI Farms"
This Euragri-led Webinar Series highlighted and demonstrated the role of the entrepreneur in transforming SFS. The expertise and examples offered by the presenters provided participants with insights and knowledge-sharing opportunities on how they might grow and apply their entrepreneurial and innovation skills in their areas of activity along the SFS chain.
The audience were participants in the SFS supply chain, including students and those starting their careers, including farmers, processors/ feed compounders/animal health/ equipment providers, policymakers and consumers.
Scotland's Rural College, SRUC, Northern Ireland's Agri-Food and BioSciences Institute (AFBI) and Teagasc will host the series. AFBI hosted this third Webinar on the theme of Growing Value from Data Entrepreneurship on Rural Northern Irish Farms. In this third event we heard from researchers and entrepreneurs about the challenges they have overcome to build a viable business from farm data.
A recording of this webinar can be viewed below:
Webinar - Lough Neagh: Past, Present and Future (19 April 2024)
"What AFBI's long-term research programme tells us about changes in Lough Neagh in recent decades"
A recording of this webinar is avaliable on the AFBI YouTube Channel here
AFBI Schools Open Day (7 March 2024)
AFBI held a Schools Open Day on Thursday 7th March, 2024 at its Hillsborough site.
The aim of the Schools Open Day was to showcase how current AFBI research is addressing some of the major global challenges facing the agri-food sector at present. It was an opportunity for GSCE and A-level/ BTEC students studying Agriculture to bring their syllabus to life outside of the classroom.
Six schools from across Northern Ireland and 170 pupils attended. There was guided tours covering current and recent research in dairy, beef, sheep, pigs and poultry. Grassland management, crop production, renewable energy from biomass crops and the potential to produce energy on farms through anaerobic digestion of animal waste was also covered.
Full report on the AFBI School's Day
George Scott Robertson Memorial Lecture 2024 (27 Feb 2024)
Riddel Hall, QUB.
The lecture was delivered by Dr Pete Falloon, Lead at the Met Office's Climate Service for Defra on Food, Farming and Natural Environment.