Food and drink businesses across Omagh and the wider Tyrone area are invited to attend a practical half-day event exploring environmental sustainability and the support available to help SMEs improve their performance.
The event is being organised by CAFRE, the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland.
With customers, retailers and regulators placing greater emphasis on sustainability, food and drink businesses increasingly need to understand and measure their environmental impact.
For local SMEs, improving sustainability is not only about meeting expectations. It can also help reduce operating costs, improve efficiency, strengthen relationships with retailers and suppliers, and create opportunities to enter new markets.
The event will feature expert speakers and practical case studies from Northern Ireland food and drink businesses. Attendees will learn how to identify potential savings in areas such as energy, water, waste and raw materials.
Businesses will also receive guidance on how to begin measuring their carbon footprint and how to take realistic, achievable steps to improve their environmental performance.
Topics covered during the event will include:
- the business and financial benefits of sustainability for SMEs
- customer and retailer expectations and their impact on market access
- Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 carbon emissions
- identifying savings in energy, water, waste and materials
- practical examples from Northern Ireland food and drink businesses
- tools, guidance and support available to help businesses get started
The event will be particularly relevant to food producers, manufacturers and other agri-food businesses in Omagh, Cookstown and across the surrounding rural areas.
It will take place on Tuesday 15 September 2026, from 8.30am to 1.15pm at CAFRE’s Loughry Campus in Cookstown.
Find out more about the environmental sustainability event and how to register.
