Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State Pippa Hackett have announced funding for four groundbreaking farming projects aimed at improving animal welfare and boosting women’s participation in agriculture.
The European Innovation Partnership (EIP) projects, worth over €2.2 million combined, will tackle pressing challenges in Irish farming, including a pioneering initiative to help women work more effectively with farm machinery and livestock.
Three of the approved projects focus on animal health and welfare. The largest among these, led by Teagasc and receiving €650,000 in funding, will explore ways to raise pigs with intact tails – a significant step forward for animal welfare in Irish farming.
Other approved projects include a €254,004 initiative to enhance suckler cow health in the Burren region, and a €649,598 program targeting lameness control on Irish farms.
“These projects bring fresh thinking to farming challenges by bringing together farmers, scientists, and experts to develop practical solutions,” Minister Hackett said. She added that a new call for environmental sustainability projects would be announced in the coming weeks.
These four new projects join two existing flagship EIP initiatives – ‘Farming for Water’ and ‘Breeding Waders’ – bringing the total number of active projects under the current CAP Strategic Plan to six.
The funding comes as part of a broader push to modernize Irish farming practices, with the Department of Agriculture confirming that additional calls for projects focusing on generational renewal and digital technologies are already underway.