The National Rural Network (NRN) held a National EIP-AGRI Conference on November 28th 2022 in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone, on behalf of the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM).
This event brought farmers, researchers, farm advisers and policymakers together to discuss successful innovative approaches towards agri-environmental protection and sustainability of farms across Ireland through EIP-AGRI’s locally-led, farmer-centred approach, and to discover the numerous lessons learned to date over the course of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020 (extended to 2022).
As well as hearing about the ‘on-the-ground’ experiences of featured EIP-AGRI Projects on the day, a representative from the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) also explained where EIP-AGRI sits within the new CAP Strategic Plan (2023-2027). The future focus and direction of EIP-AGRI in Ireland was subsequently discussed during thematic break-out groups involving those in attendance.
Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett, opened the event. An EIP-AGRI Operational Group Project exhibition was also on display on the day. The NRN will produce a report on this event over the coming weeks.