Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has announced the selection of nine new projects to receive €10m of funding under the European Innovation Partnerships Initiative (EIP). These mostly target the implementation of local sustainability ideas developed by farmers and industry groups.

The latest organisations and projects to receive funding are:

  • Rathcroghan |Resource Community: sustainable farming in the Rathcroghan archaeological landscape, Co Roscommon.
  • National Biodiversity Data Centre: protecting farmland pollinators, Co Waterford.
  • Forum Connemara Operational Group: northwest Connemara locally-led scheme, Co Galway/Mayo.
  • Lárionad Acmhainní Nádúrtha Ctr (LAN): culra creafoige, Co Donegal.
  • Biorefinery Glas: small-scale farmer-led green biorefineries, southwest.
  • Inishowen Upland Farmers: a whole farm approach to landscape management, Inishowen, Co Donegal.
  • River Allow Catchment Management Group, Co Cork.
  • Irish BioEnergy Association (IrBEA): small biogas demonstration programme, nationwide.
  • Mulkear Integrated Catchment Management Partnership: on-farm technology transfer to enhance water quality in the Mulkear catchment, Co Limerick and Co Tipperary

    • "This brings the amount of funding made available to EIP projects to €57m," Minister Creed said. Twenty-three projects have been selected since the programme opened in 2016, with funding coming under the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme. Two of these are full-scale agri-environmental schemes, the Hen Harrier programme and the Freshwater Pearl Mussel programme.

    "These projects are bottom-up, and will be designed and run by organisation groups, with the support of my Department,” Minister Creed said.