merrion street

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister Simon Coveney at the press briefing today

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney today announced the allocation of more than €12.5 billion in Common Agricultural Policy and exchequer funding to the agriculture sector in the period to 2020.

Speaking at the CAP announcement the Taoiseach said

Getting all parts of Ireland working again remains the Government’s top priority.......I’m delighted to welcome the agreement of a new draft Rural Development Programme for Ireland as a part of the Common Agricultural Policy's €12.5 billion investment in Irish agriculture. The Rural Development Programme will see more on farm investment as we grow our indigenous food and drink industry to new heights. At a time of scarce resources this represents the Government’s strong commitment to job creation and investment in our rural communities.

Minister Coveney said:

Today marks a further landmark day in what is an unprecedentedly exciting period for the agriculture sector and the agri-food industry in Ireland. In addition to the €8.5 billion in EU funding that will be paid in direct payments to farmers in the period up to 2020, I am delighted to announce that €1.9 billion in national funding will be added to the €2.2 billion EU funding already secured for expenditure on rural development. It brings the total funding for the sector over the period to more than €12.5 billion.

Minister of State Tom Hayes emphasised the importance of ensuring that this level of funding is spent effectively:

It must be done in a forward-looking way that will help the sector to achieve its full potential by supporting innovation and improving competitiveness.

Minister Coveney added,

The focus for me is consistently on the need to achieve smart, green growth, as envisaged in Food Harvest 2020. We need to be smart about what we do so that we can become more efficient and more competitive, and we need to do it in a way that is sustainable from an environmental and climate viewpoint. The package of measures I am announcing today provides practical, targeted support that will help the sector to achieve its ambitions while meeting its climate change responsibilities.