University of Galway has heralded the achievement of student golfer Liam Nolan who has secured his place to play as an amateur in The Open. Liam Nolan has just completed his final year in Biomedical Engineering and is a University of Galway Sport Scholar, supported by the High Performance Unit. He will play in The Open at Royal Troon - one of the sport’s majors - from July 18, lining up against some of the world’s best golfers after securing qualification by finishing 5-under at Dundonald Links in Scotland. University of Galway Dean of Students, Professor Ciara Meehan, said: “On behalf of our University community, I’d like to send a message of congratulations and wish Liam Nolan the very best for The Open. Our University takes great delight and a deep sense of pride in celebrating the achievements of our students, as well as our staff, whether that’s in sporting success or studies, their research, their community or volunteering work or competing, as Liam is, at the top of their game on a world stage. We look forward to Liam being an inspiration for many more sporting achievements at the University in the year ahead.” Liam Nolan said: “I’m thrilled to have a golf game which is strong enough to book a place at The Open in Troon. I am looking forward to being on the course, to enjoying the whole experience of the major and to competing with some of the best golfers in the world. To be one of only a handful of amateurs to get a chance to compete in one of golf’s majors is an achievement in itself, and I am so looking forward to teeing it up.”  Des Ryan, Director of Sport and Physical Wellbeing at University of Galway, said: “Liam Nolan is a great role model and an ambassador for University of Galway, for Galway Golf Club and Ireland. We are delighted to see his hard work pay off and we are delighted to have been able to support Liam through the University’s High-Performance Unit led by Feargal O’Callaghan. We all wish him every success and every bit of luck that’s needed on the famous links. His sporting and academic achievements will inspire many other dual aspirational sports people to achieve great things and many others to participate in sport.” Liam Nolan is a Galway native and his home club is Galway Golf Club. He won the South American Amateur Open in January 2023 and in May of that year he went on to win the Brabazon Trophy. He was selected to play for Great Britain and Ireland against the US in the Walker Cup in September 2023 – a pinnacle of the sport for amateur players. He has also represented Ireland in the European Team Championships and Home Internationals.  Ends

€1.4m Government funding to progress pioneering collaboration for ‘Methane Abatement in Grazing Systems - MAGS’  Projects focus on innovations for feed, manure and slurry and targeted breeding programme  Studies build on research which shows potential for significant methane reduction for beef and dairy farming  Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for research and development, Martin Heydon T.D., and Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland, Andrew Muir MLA, have announced funding of €1.4million for University of Galway to lead a research consortium to pioneer greenhouse gas reduction solutions for agriculture.  Teagasc, the Northern Ireland-based Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation will work with scientists at the University to expand testing and evaluation of a combination of cutting-edge technologies and farming innovations to lower methane emissions from cattle and sheep.  The research-based project, Methane Abatement in Grazing Systems (MAGS) focuses on evaluating solutions for feed, breeding and manure management.   It aims to apply the most effective feed additives, while improving their formulation for long-lasting effects, in combination with novel genomic breeding and manure management. Scientific analysis will identify the best combinations of strategies which can be delivered on farms in Northern Ireland and in the Republic, through the Teagasc Signpost programme.   Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for research and development, Martin Heydon T.D., said: “The €1.4m committed to the MAGS project (Methane Abatement in Grazing Systems) by my Department, along with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, is an indication of our ambition and commitment to reduce methane emissions from agriculture. This project builds on the success of previously DAFM-funded projects in this area, such as ‘MethAbate’ and ‘GreenBreed’.   “The MAGS project will focus on further developing technologies, including methane inhibitors and breeding strategies, for application in beef and dairy pasture-based systems to mitigate animal and manure methane.  “Ireland has committed to reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030. Research investment into novel methane reduction technologies through projects like MAGS is a central part of achieving these targets. An important aspect of the project is research collaboration, and I am pleased that the project coordinator, Dr Sinéad Waters, has brought together scientific partners from across the Island of Ireland to concentrate ideas, expertise and knowledge in a way that accelerates progress in these novel technologies.”  Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland, Andrew Muir MLA, welcoming the funding, said: “I am pleased that my Department is co-funding this research project with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, bringing together leading scientists from across the Island of Ireland to address, through cutting-edge science, greenhouse gas emissions from grazing livestock systems. Collaborative research funding of this nature is key in helping to underpin the future sustainability of dairy, beef and sheep systems, through the provision of evidence and new innovations to contribute to the required reductions of net greenhouse gas emissions in Northern Ireland by at least 48% by 2030 under the Climate Change Act.”      Agriculture contributes about 37% of Irish greenhouse gas emissions. Government has committed to reducing these farming related emissions by 25% by 2030, including a recommended 10% reduction in agri-methane.  Methane accounts for about 70% of emissions associated with agriculture, predominantly from methane produced in the gut of the animal as feed ferments in the rumen, while methane from manure and slurry are the third largest contributor to emissions from farms.  Methane Abatement in Grazing Systems  MAGS is an all-island initiative, with funding of €1.437m through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s 2023 Research Stimulus Fund.   The project will develop, apply and validate a range of the most promising novel technologies, including breeding strategies, feed and manure additives to mitigate methane in beef and dairy farming.   Beef cattle in Teagasc Grange, Co Meath and Holstein Friesian dairy cows in AFBI, Hillsborough, Northern Ireland will be used to evaluate novel slow-release feed additives in combination with microbiome assisted genomic breeding values on animal performance, health and enteric methane emissions, while the effect of manure and slurry additives at farm-scale will also be monitored.  Feed  Various slow-release formats of an oxidising methane inhibitor, commercially known as RumenGlas and developed by Glasport Bio, will be evaluated, both on its own and in combination with a range of other promising feed additives for beef and dairy cattle. A trial in Teagasc Grange demonstrated that a pelleted format of the inhibitor reduced methane by 28% with no negative effects observed on animal performance or health.   Manure  The efficacy of a slurry additive, GasAbate, produced by GlasPort Bio, will be tested at farm-scale, with the aim of creating a blueprint for widespread agri-sector roll out.  Methane losses from stored manures account for c. 10% of Irish agricultural GHG emissions. No effective, widely implementable and commercially available mitigation solutions currently exist. But research has shown the GasAbate additive reduces methane losses from stored slurries by more than 80%.   Breeding  In conjunction with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, the MAGS project will develop and validate a selection and breeding programme for beef and dairy cattle that emit less methane which is produced from the gut during grazing.  Research by the project partners has already shown that some beef cattle can emit up to 30% less methane, for the same level of performance.   While the critical role that the rumen microbial community plays in methane emissions is acknowledged, the integration of microbiome data to improve genomic selection breeding of animals emitting lower methane emissions has not yet been applied in Ireland or internationally.    Dr Sinéad Waters, MAGS Project Lead and Lecturer in host microbiome interactions in the Environment at University of Galway, said: “Agriculture is Ireland’s oldest and largest indigenous industry but now faces major challenges in meeting the 2030 targets of a 25% reduction for farming-related greenhouse gas emissions. Strategies to mitigate methane emissions related to cattle and sheep need to be rapidly developed and implemented on farm to comply with these targets. With research partners and colleagues, and the support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine our aim is to develop and deliver important solutions for the agri-food-industry to reduce methane from pasture-based farms. We have brought together a unique team of excellent scientists and industry partners whose collaboration can support the Irish agri-food sector and align with international initiatives such as the EU Methane Strategy and Global Methane Pledge.”  Professor Vincent O'Flaherty, Established Professor of Microbiology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, said: “Significant progress has been made in the development of real-world solutions to reduce Irish agricultural greenhouse gas emissions through DAFM-funded research. GasAbate slurry additive technology to reduce GHG emissions by more than 80% is now available for on-farm demonstration and the next phase of work through the MAGS project will provide additional evidence to support widespread adoption. Ireland’s pasture system provides unique challenges for the development of effective methane supressing feed additives, but the results from our work to date have been very encouraging, with greatly reduced enteric emissions demonstrated in beef cattle fed with commercially produced diets containing novel additives. The MAGS project will develop and refine slow-release feed additive formats that, in combination with advances in breeding strategies, can provide critical support to Ireland in meeting its agricultural GHG targets.”  Professor David Kenny, Head of Animal and Bioscience Research at Teagasc said: “We are excited to be involved in this hugely novel and multidisciplinary research project. The holistic combination of state-of-the-art genetic and dietary based methane mitigation strategies together with the focus on development of practical solutions for pasture-based beef and dairy production systems, bodes well for successful implementation of new technologies emanating from the project.”   Ends 

 States and maritime actors must take urgent and coordinated action to prevent trafficking in persons in the context of migration at sea, United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking Professor Siobhán Mullally has said.    Professor Siobhán Mullally is the Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway and was appointed Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2020.    In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Professor Mullally said: “The States’ obligations to prevent trafficking in persons, to identify, assist and protect victims of trafficking, without discrimination, continue to apply at sea. The failure to fulfil these obligations increases risks of trafficking in persons, in particular child victims and other serious violations of international law, including potential violations of the principle of non-refoulement.”    The report is available here     Under international human rights law, the principle of non-refoulement guarantees that no one should be returned to a country where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other irreparable harm. This principle applies to all migrants at all times, irrespective of migration status.    The Special Rapporteur report addresses the obligations to ensure accountability for trafficking in persons, and access to remedies for victims, recognising difficulties for victims in the context of mixed movements at sea.    Professor Mullally said: “In the midst of often contested jurisdiction and increasing criminalisation of irregular movements, international law, as it applies to protection at sea, sets out a comprehensive range of obligations for maritime actors, including states, non-state actors, commercial vessels and international and regional entities.”    The Special Rapporteur report reflects on the often politicised and punitive responses to mixed movements of refugees and migrants at sea, including restrictions on safe, regular migration; restricted access to asylum; ‘pushbacks’ risking refoulement; arrest and detention upon disembarkation; unjust punishment of victims for offences related to their migration status, and criminalisation of human rights defenders engaged in search and rescue operations. These responses force people to take more dangerous journeys and places them at higher risk of becoming victims of trafficking in persons.    The Special Rapporteur said that protecting victims of trafficking and persons at risk of trafficking must comply with international law, recognising trauma and serious harms.    Recommendations include mechanisms for screening and referral of victims of trafficking at places of disembarkation, providing access and referral pathways to specialised trauma-informed assistance and protection services, health services - including reproductive and sexual health services and psychosocial assistance - and safe accommodation for victims of trafficking.    All necessary measures should be taken to identify, assist and protect child victims of trafficking and children at risk of trafficking, in accordance with the principle of non-discrimination, ensuring the best interests of the child as a priority.    Professor Siobhán Mullally was appointed as Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2020, to promote the prevention of trafficking in persons in all its forms, and to encourage measures to uphold and protect the human rights of victims. She is also the Established Professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the School of Law, University of Galway. Prior to her appointment as Special Rapporteur, she was a member of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), elected as President of GRETA from 2016-2018 and as 1st Vice-President from 2014-2018.    The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.    Ends