Former Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) dairy executive Catherine Lascurettes has been appointed as AgTech Ireland’s chief operations officer (COO).

AgTech Ireland chair and CEO of Terra NutriTECH Padraig Hennessy made the announcement of this newly created position on Monday 24 April.

"Our organisation was established in 2021 to represent our industry and we have until now operated entirely on a voluntary basis.

"In her role as AgTech Ireland’s COO, Catherine will help the organisation grow and she will drive our ambition to represent agri-tech companies at policy, research and farm levels, for the greater good of Irish agriculture, as well as that of our member companies," Hennessy said.

New technologies

Commenting on her appointment, the France native said she believes new technologies will prove vital in helping Irish agriculture reach its full potential as one of the world’s most sustainable food producers, while meeting its climate and environmental obligations.

"In my new role, I will work with the AgTech Ireland team to promote a policy and technical ecosystem favourable to the rapid and widespread adoption of new tech and practices on farms.

"I am very excited by this new role as COO of AgTech Ireland and am fully committed to driving the organisation in its mission," she said.

Lascurettes is the director of Cúl Dara Consultancy and was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 2000. She was also appointed Nuffield Ireland executive in 2021 and will continue in this role.