LEADER is a vital part of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) for rural Ireland, according to Minister of State, Seán Canney.

The Minister of State at the Department of Transport said that LEADER's locally led approach supports rural enterprises, community organisations, and social inclusion.

The minister also believes it gives communities "the flexibility to respond to their own development needs.

"That local focus is essential to sustaining vibrant rural areas," he added.

Minister Canney said the latest update on CAP highlights that the current strategic plan, which has a total budget of €9.8 billion, is being implemented across its two core funding streams - Pillar 1 (Direct Payments) and Pillar 2 (Rural Development).

Under the plan, €5.97 billion is allocated to Pillar 1, while €3.86 billion is dedicated to Pillar 2.

CAP

Ireland has now fully drawn down all available Pillar 1 funding and continues to outperform the EU average under Pillar 2, with a drawdown rate of 38%, double the EU average according to the latest update.

Minister Canney also outlined that in 2025, approximately €1.81 billion was delivered in supports to Irish farmers and rural communities through 18 separate CAP interventions.

The latest update details the scale of participation across schemes funded under the current CAP.

More than 110,000 farmers are participating in Eco-schemes, while 54,000 farmers are engaged in ACRES (Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme).

To date, over 2,400km of hedgerows have been planted, 800,000 trees established and 6,300km of waterways protected.

According to Minister Canney, organic farming has also expanded significantly, with over 5.5% of utilisable agricultural area now farmed organically.

Animal welfare and innovation

Meanwhile, the minister said that supports for animal welfare and efficiency are also being "delivered at scale", with 2.1 million breeding ewes participating in the Sheep Improvement Scheme, 415,000 beef cows supported under the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Scheme, and 40,000 animals targeted under the Dairy Beef Welfare measure.

He also pointed to how innovation is being supported through European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs), including the €60 million Water EIP, the €25 million Breeding Waders EIP, and 22 further EIP projects addressing biodiversity, climate action, animal welfare, digital technologies, and environmental sustainability.

Minister Canney added: “This update shows that Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan is delivering as intended, with strong take-up of income supports, environmental measures and rural development funding.”