A collection of short examples of initiatives/projects related to new entrants into farming (mostly small scale)

Nearly 61% of EU young farmers consider the availability of land for purchase and 57% the availability of land for rent as the most difficult challenges they face, often due to issues such as land ownership laws, inheritance rules and land prices, according to a new external report published by...

In the period to 2020, the new CAP will invest EUR 10.7 billion in Ireland's farming sector and rural areas, with additional co-financing from the Irish authorities. Key political priorities have been defined at European level such as: jobs and growth, sustainability, modernisation, innovation and quality. At the same time,...

Exactly 20 years after the ground-breaking European Conference on Rural Development in Cork, which concluded with the signing of theCork Declaration on Rural Development, EU Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development Phil Hogan is pleased to announce that the European Commission is organising a second European Conference on Rural Development...

The Conference aims to bring together 250 or so stakeholders in order to discuss current and future challenges of farming and rural areas, as well as potential policy responses. The Commission will start inviting policy makers, NGOs, members of academia and other interested parties in the coming weeks.  

A nationwide series of national organic farming open days will take place from Summer 2014 to Spring 2015. Teagasc, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and organic organisations invite all interested to see organic farming in practice and to meet and speak with the producers and sector’s experts....

In 2015,  the Blackstairs Farming Group, inspired by the opportunity set out in the  Irish  Rural Development Plan (RDP) for 2014-20, took the lead and looked for help in designing a results-based agro-environment payment scheme (RBAPS) tailored    to their local area. They secured financial support from the Heritage Council and...

This brochure presents eight case studies showcasing the role of European farming families as resilient, rural entrepreneurs in the context of the UN International year of Family Farming (IYFF) (2014). It is clear within the IYFF that family farming as a global political objective refers to a sub-set of family-owned...

The analysis of survey responses shows that young farmers have different expectations and needs, depending on the region in which they live, the agricultural sector in which they work (intensive, extensive), their level of education, their relation to the farm (owner of the farm or not) etc. This study revealed...

Ireland is a single payment region on paper. However, the convergence process will not be completed by 2019 (the Department commitment is that no-one will have a payment rate below 60% of the 2019 national average by that time) and payment rates over the national average will only be reduced...

Dairy farmers generally produce either summer or winter milk, depending on their farm’s calving system, with few exceptions, where milk is produced all year round. Due to its higher production costs, especially the price of organic feed, winter milk attracts a higher price premium than summer milk. Although some organic...

There are a number of threats facing small to medium sized beef farmers. Beef and sheep meat are especially vulnerable to cost-benefit analysis involving the EU. Professor Alan Matthews made a very strong case for a change in land use from livestock to forestry, based on Ireland's EU climate change commitments. Though...

On the 15th May, Justina and Liam Gavin Drumanilra farm, just outside Boyle in County Roscommon, will became full symbol organic. 

Over the next 7 years, the CAP will invest almost EUR 11 billion in the Irish farming sector and rural areas. Among the key priorities are jobs, sustainability, modernization, innovation and quality. In parallel, flexibility is given to Ireland to adapt both direct payments and rural development programmes to its...

Organic farming no longer serves a niche market in the European Union (EU). In spite of the global economic crisis, the mainstreaming of organic products has maintained its impressive trajectory: since 2008 there has been an average annual growth rate of 8%; annual turnover has risen to €20 billion; and more than 500...

In the world, more than 80 per cent of farms are family farms – in total more than 500 million economic and social entities. In Europe 25 million people, 172 million hectares of agricultural land and 12 million farms are involved in EU agricultural production. A vast majority of these...

Ireland’s family farming heritage holds crucial elements of rural sustainability – established networks of social support; cultural traditions resourcing ethno-industries such as tourism and  draft; and localised human-ecological knowledge important for environmental custodianship. The ‘small, not multinational’ symbolic value of family farming is strategically used to authenticate the ‘brand-centred, consumer...

Keogh's Farm is a family owned and run potato growing and crisping business based in North County Dublin.  Our family have been growing delicious Irish potatoes in this area for over 100 years and now we are hand cooking Ireland’s finest crisps in small batches right here on our farm

Social farming, delivered on family farms across Northern Ireland and Ireland, has started on a journey to realise its’ potential as a valuable and cost effective option that provides a range of benefits which connect people and ultimately improves lives. The Social Farming Across Borders (SoFAB) Project has raised awareness...

 Emanuela Russo and Fergal Anderson moved to county Galway, Ireland in September 2011 to start a small vegetable farm. Emanuela, originally from Milan, Italy and Fergal from Galway studied Journalism and Communication and Public Advocacy and Activism respectively and could not imagine to become farmers when they graduated from high...