Ireland to get €2.087bn of EU-25 rural funding

EU funding for rural development in Ireland from next January to 2014 is expected to total €2.087 billion.

Ireland got €2.63 billion in the current rural development round, but rural funding is now diluted across 25 member states, plus Bulgaria and Romania, instead of the 15 member states in the current round.

According to Department of Agriculture and Food sources, it will be months before Ireland submits a draft rural development programme to the European Commission.