This year's Seagriculture EU conference included a site visit to Ocean Rainforest's facilities in the Faroe Islands.
Photo: Seagriculture.
The Seagriculture EU 2024 conference, a major event for the seaweed industry, took place last week in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.
The conference, themed "Bridging Continents," brought together 224 delegates from 25 countries, representing over 123 companies and institutions, highlighting the global interest in seaweed farming.
The event began with a site visit to Ocean Rainforest, one of Europe’s largest seaweed cultivators, where delegates were offered a firsthand glimpse into their operations led by expert guides from the company. The visit included a boat journey to explore the cultivation site in Gøta more closely and witness seaweed harvest in action, an up-close look at the production and hatchery facilities, as well as a visit from land to their other cultivation sites in Funningsfjørð.
The conference itself featured five plenary sessions, two panel discussions, and Seaweed Elevator Pitches, covering numerous projects and insights. Nearly 50 speakers, including international experts from DG MARE, FermentationExperts, Unilever, Cargill, and Future Feed, provided diverse perspectives on seaweed farming, innovations, and regulations.
The conference was accompanied by a trade show with ten leading exhibitors, showcasing latest technologies and equipment, with the conference's B2Match app facilitating over 160 meetings between attendees, with the aim of fostering future collaborations.
The event also featured Faroese cultural experiences, including seaweed tasting and a national choir performance at the conference dinner.
Kuno Jacobs, Managing Director of conference organizer DLG Benelux, highlighted the growing recognition of seaweed's role in sustainability and the conference's increasing diversity of delegates.
"We are excited about the response and success of Seagriculture EU 2024," Jacobs said, thanking the close collaboration with Ocean Rainforest in the Faroe Islands, marking what he called a "unique edition" of the event.
"The enthusiastic participation of seaweed professionals, researchers, and policymakers underscores the growing recognition of seaweed as a crucial component of a sustainable future."
"We are particularly pleased to see a growing number of delegates, not only from the seaweed and aquaculture industries, but also from the feed and food industry and other related sectors each year. This diversity highlights the importance and relevance of the conference in addressing broader sustainability challenges," Jacobs added.
Upcoming editions of the Seagriculture Conferences include Seagriculture USA 2024 in Ketchikan, Alaska (September 11-12, 2024), Seagriculture Asia-Pacific 2025 in Adelaide, Australia (March 18-20, 2025), and Seagriculture EU 2025 in Rotterdam, Netherlands (June 17-19, 2025).
