Ministers Leo Varadkar and Charlie McConalogue have announced that 22 projects in the meat and dairy sectors will receive grant funding following Britain’s exit from the European Union.

The stated rationale for the the Capital Investment Scheme for the Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products is to assist food producers in diversify to new markets and customers,  according to Varadkar.

The fund is being administered by Enterprise Ireland.

This €70m grants allocation is part of the €100m scheme announced in December 2020. A further call under the scheme is expected later.

According to Varadkar: “This €70m funding will go directly to food producers and processors in the meat and dairy sectors to help them diversify and win new customers post-Brexit. It will also help them prepare for a low carbon future, given our commitments on climate. 

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“Brexit caused huge uncertainty for the sector and is a warning of the dangers of becoming over-reliant on a certain market. Similarly the need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining production levels is another challenge facing our food producers."

Minister McConalogue added: “New product development and market diversification go hand-in-hand. The €70m investment will increase sales of higher value-add products in the global marketplace, maintaining our position as the sustainable food capital of the world.”

Enterprise Ireland chief executive Leo Clancy commented: “The funding is supporting strategic projects in making investments of €266m across regional and rural Ireland. Our agri-food sector has to focus increasingly on sustainability, competitiveness and innovation to grow existing and new markets.”

Photo: Ministers Leo Varadkar (left) and Charlie McConalogue. (Pic: RollingNews.ie)

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