Ireland generates more than one million tonnes of food waste each year but tackling the problem could help the country to meet its climate change targets, according to the Minister for Agriculture.

MInister Charlie McConalogue today (Friday, January 27) launched a project to encourage organisations with food waste reduction ideas to step forward.

The minister said funding from the 2023 Rural Innovation and Development Fund will be made available under the latest Food Waste Reduction Initiatives programme.

He added that funding will specifically be available for projects "designed to reduce food waste generated in rural areas and funding will be awarded on a competitive basis". 

The maximum amount that will be paid to any project is €180,000.

"Tackling food waste is one the most effective solutions in tackling our global climate targets. It is good for the environment and good for the pocket," Minister McConalogue said.

He detailed that the development fund's key objective is to energise the rural economy by "encouraging innovative job creation and sustainable enterprise development".

"It is more important than ever that we support and promote these important initiatives," the minister added.

But in order to apply for funding for food waste reduction proposals there are number of criteria that organisations must meet, these include that they:

According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the organisations who qualified for the programme last year successfully contributed to the goal of reducing waste in Ireland.

Among the organisations and projects that secured funding were: