Agriculture

What could be better than some fantastic Irish beef, with a side of Irish new potatoes and mouth watering Irish strawberries and cream for dessert? Ireland produces some of the best food in the world and that's thanks to our farmers, who are actively supported by the EU.

Not only do our farmers supply us with food, but they are essential to rural life and help keep our countryside as a great place to live, work and visit.
Our farmers have complex jobs. Not only do they marry traditional skills with the latest in information technology, but they must produce safe food, while looking after animals, managing the land and taking care of our rural environment. Whew. I’m tired just thinking about how hard they work to give us good things to eat and drink!

The EU supports and protects our farmers, making sure they can earn a living, while the Irish countryside is put to good use. Ireland is still one of the largest receivers of EU funding under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which continues to help our farmers survive in a competitive global market.

While our farmers are working hard to provide us with lovely things to eat, they need to be sure of making some money so they have to be able to develop and modernise their farms. The EU aims to help them in every way possible. Irish farmers still receive:

• EU grants and subsidies to support their income and ensure their livelihoods
• Guaranteed prices for farm produce so they can compete in international and domestic markets
• The EU also provides assistance for farmers in other ways, for example:
• Training in new farming techniques
• Helping young farmers get started
• Assisting older farmers with retirement
• Modernising buildings and machinery
• Helping establish food processing facilities on farms
  

The EU has also launched – and co-funded with the Irish government – a number of schemes to diversify the agriculture industry and make it more sustainable. 

More money is being made available to encourage Irish farmers to make more environmentally-friendly use of their land. Organic farming gets extra funding to help Ireland diversify the quality of its natural produce. 

At a guess, what percentage of EU citizens do you think live in rural areas? The answer is nearly 60%. And those rural areas make up over 90% of EU territory. More than half of that land is farmed.

Farming matters to the EU and Irish farmers are valued for their contribution. They will continue to receive EU support, under the Rural Development Policy for 2007-2013. This policy concentrates on three main areas:

• Improving agricultural competitiveness
  The EU wants our farms to be more diverse, innovative, eco-friendly and dynamic. Ultimately, our farms should become more competitive and less reliable on CAP payouts and other subsidies.
• Environment and land management
  The EU will focus more on making the best use of the countryside and promoting better practices in relation to food safety, animal welfare and environmental friendliness.
• Economic diversification and quality of life
  More grants and schemes, like the Leader programme and the European Agricultural Fund, are becoming available. These encourage our farmers to invest in their land in order to diversify our farming industry and make the countryside more environmentally friendly, helping to boost tourism and eco-farming.
  

European agriculture news
The Common Agricultural Policy Explained
EU Rural Development Policy 2007-2013
Organic farming in Europe
Watch EU videos on farming matters