Qualifications:

PhD, BAgrSc, NDip(Eng)

Job title/Role:

Lecturer in Agricultural Science / Project lead - REAMIT

Research Areas of Expertise / Interest:

Sustainable Agriculture, Animal Traceability, Precision Agriculture, Food Chain Integrity  

Biography:

Dr Gerard Corkery has over 15 years research and teaching experience in the area of agricultural science, food chain integrity, smart agri-food applications and non invasive technologies for animal traceability. Dr Corkery obtained his primary degree in Agricultural Science from University College Dublin in 2005. He was awarded a PhD degree from UCD in 2010. His PhD focused on the use of biometrics as a method for identification and traceability of animals and poultry. During this time, Dr Corkery worked on two Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine funded projects. Dr Corkery was previously employed as a Research Manager within UCD School of Biosystems Engineering (2009-2012). He was also awarded an Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship in the University of Limerick in 2012 where his focus was on smart sensing technologies within poultry production aiming to improve overall bird performance while minimizing costs. Dr Corkery held a full time lecturing position from 2013-2018 in Dundalk Institute of Technology where he delivered into the Agriculture Program within the Department of Applied Sciences. Dr Corkery currently holds a lecturing position in the Department of Biological & Pharmaceutical Sciences, MTU Kerry where he predominantly lectures and is course leader in the Agricultural Science programme. He is project lead for current EU funded Interreg REAMIT project, which is focused on improving resource efficiency of agribusiness supply chains by minimising waste using big data and internet of things sensors.  

Project Title:

REAMIT - Improving Resource Efficiency of Agribusiness supply chains by Minimising waste using Big Data and Internet of Things sensors

Project Overview:

The REAMIT project proposes to adapt and apply existing innovative technology to food supply chains in NWE to reduce food waste and hence improve resource efficiency. Reducing food waste is of highest priority for the EU (88Mt or € 143B wasted per year). The EU has committed to halving food waste by 2030 by focusing on all stages in the supply chain. 35% of food waste in EU-28 has occurred in supply chains in 2012. Though technologies exist to reduce food waste, they have not been applied to food supply chains. REAMIT will focus on fruits, vegetables, meat and fish as these are wasted in large quantities. The supply chain includes farms, packaging sites, food processors, distribution, logistics, wholesalers and retailers. The project will be carried out in Ireland, Germany, France, UK and the Netherlands due to the amount of interconnected food supply chains and huge food waste in these countries. REAMIT will adapt existing Internet of Things and Big Data technologies to best fit the needs of the food supply chain management system in NWE. Through testing and adaptation, these technologies will be enabled to continuously monitor and record food quality and signal potential food quality issues. Through analytics, owners of 'food to be at risk of becoming waste' will be provided with decision support options to minimise food waste including redistribution to nearby customers.