Senator Victor Boyhan said he “welcomes” Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) funding for agriculture, but wants “more transparency” on how the funds are being used.
Ireland, as the member state most affected, received the biggest allocation for BAR at a value of €1.165 billion.
The funding can be allocated to projects across a range of sectors, including agriculture, fisheries and enterprise.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Pippa Hackett recently announced additional funding of €500,000 for the Irish organic sector.
The funding is for use in the first six months of 2024 to build on the work that has already commenced by Bord Bia.
Senator Boyhan, who is a member of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine said:
“I am supportive [of] the growth of the Irish organic sector and Bord Bia’s range of activities in this niche sector of agri-enterprise.
“However, I would be keen to understand the range of finance and incentives used by Bord Bia in promoting agri-enterprise both in Ireland and abroad in 2022 and 2023.”
Senator Boyhan told Agriland he wants to see a schedule of how much money is being used in the agriculture sector, for what projects the money is being put towards, and the “source of funding”.
“There’s a lot of ambiguity out there, it’s all a bit vague right now,” the senator claimed.
He said while he doesn’t want to “speculate”, he would like to see “more transparency”.
“Organic farming certainly presents an opportunity for some Irish farmers, so financial supports and knowledge transfer are important, the reality is that organics is not the only route farmers want to pursue,” he said.
The DAFM has been working with Bord Bia in identifying further opportunities for Irish farmers and processors to grow their organic presence and increase market share through this funding.