Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has said that today's announcement of Budget 2022 "protects family farm income".

The estimates provide a gross allocation of €1.858 billion for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), an increase of €32 million on Budget 2021.

This is in addition to almost €1.2 billion in EU-funded direct payments received annually to support farm incomes and reward good agricultural and environmental practices, according to the DAFM.

Speaking after the budget was announced in the Dáil today (Tuesday, October 12), Minister McConalogue said: “In a time of transition, farmers can have confidence that this budget protects farm family income and supports action to improve safety and sustainability on farms.

According to the minister, key features of the budget include:

He added that an innovative initiative to grant aid and support the planting of multi-species swards is also included.

Other elements include:

Further funding is expected to be made available to the fisheries and agri-food sectors in 2022 through the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR).

Commenting on the allocations to her areas of responsibility, Minister of State at the DAFM, Pippa Hackett said: “This budget supports nature-friendly farming practices and prioritises action on climate and biodiversity.

"Including other supports for the organic sector, this doubles the budget available for organics from when I took office less than two years ago. I know that many farmers are interested in making the transition - this will support them as they do so," she added.

Budget 2022 has included additional measures to improve safety and reduce farm deaths and injury on Irish farms.

Minister of State with responsibility for farm safety, Martin Heydon, stated: “This is the first time a dedicated budget has been provided for specific farm safety initiatives aimed at reducing the rate of serious and fatal incidents on farms.

Consultation of the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan (CSP) is still underway.

Minister McConalogue has been visiting marts around the country to garner views from the agricultural sector on how the CAP funding should be spent in this country.

I hope to make a further announcement on this soon," Minister McConalogue said.