Ireland’s Agriculture Minister has announced a new funding package to support Ukrainian family farms.
The announcement came on Wednesday as Minister Charlie McConalogue met with Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko to discuss the plan.
Minister @mcconalogue met with @ukrinirl @geraskolarysa to announce that we will contribute funding of €750,000 for a @un @fao project in #Ukraine🇺🇦
The project will support up to 1,000 farmers and households at the front line in eastern Ukraine.
📍 https://t.co/B71d5nrFdD pic.twitter.com/tRDDmFL6yR
— Dept of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (@agriculture_ie) December 14, 2022
The Fianna Fáil Minister described his department’s decision to support up to 1,000 small family farms in Ukraine with €750,000 in funding via the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
This will reportedly provide farms that have not been able to raise livestock during the conflict with the resources needed to continue raising animals. Some of the resources provided will include animal feed, supplements and poultry production kits.
Speaking on the funding package, McConalogue said he was “very pleased” to support the Ukrainian farming industry.
“I am very pleased that we can fund this important FAO project in Ukraine,” he said.
“Ireland and Ukraine share many similarities – we are both rural and agricultural with farming playing a key role of our economies and societies. Farming, for both our nations, is part of the fabric of people.”
He added that the plan would support Ukraine’s efforts to “build back agricultural capacity.”
“This FAO project will support efforts to build back agricultural capacity and to build-up resilience of farms and households impacted most by the illegal Russian war in Ukraine,” he said.
Ukrainian Ambassador Larysa Gerasko said she was grateful to Ireland for the move, describing it as “another demonstration of Ireland’s unwavering stance with Ukraine.”
The Department of Agriculture said that the move reflected “Ireland’s leading role” in advocating for “the importance of animal protein in sustainable healthy diets.”
The development comes as Ireland makes significant cuts to its own domestic agricultural industry in pursuit of climate action targets set by government.
Earlier this year the government announced a 25% cut target in agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, prompting significant backlash from Irish farmers.
Ireland targets 25% cut in agriculture emissions but farmers voice anger https://t.co/vdTiuU823y
— The Guardian (@guardian) July 29, 2022
Some rural TDs even claimed that the government had signed their “political death warrant” with rural voters following the move due to its unpopularity in certain communities.
Govt "have signed their death warrant with rural Ireland" after emissions target – Carol Nolan#gripthttps://t.co/biyTZqg2yE
— gript (@griptmedia) August 2, 2022
Notably, Ireland’s agriculture sector produces less greenhouse gas emissions annually than Ukraine’s.
According to the latest data available, Ireland’s agri sector produces 23.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually. By comparison, Ukrainian farming produces 29.4 million tonnes.