Key Ag Schemes account for just 86c out of every €100
Some 86c out of every €100 of Government spending will go towards funding farm supports and schemes, a new report has found.
The report from the UCD Geary Institute on how Ireland is spending its public purse also highlighted that the Government will spend some €979 million on a range of subsidies and incentives for farmers.
However, agriculture spending is much lower than in other areas. According to the report, out of every €100 of public spending, €9.34 goes into the State pension, €7.02 on acute hospital services and €4.89 goes on welfare payments for illness, disability or carers.
At €21.25, these three spending programmes account for more than a fifth of every €100 allocated to public spending.
Key budget lines within the main agriculture programme include €247m for the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme, €200m for the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme, €97m for Forestry and Bioenergy, €92m for Agri-Environmental Schemes, €83m for Beef Sustainability Schemes and €47m for the Organic Farming Scheme.
Meanwhile, the Government will this year also spend some €425m, or 37c out of every €100, on its Agri-Food
Policy and Strategy programme. This programme includes Teagasc (€170m), Bord Bia (€57m) and the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund (€95m). Smaller grant funds are also provided for research, development and innovation.
The Department of Agriculture will spend some €378m, or 33c out of every €100 of public spending, on Food Safety, Animal Health and Welfare, while its spend on the seafood sector will account for just 15c out of every €100, or €170m.
Other notable public spending areas include Met Éireann, which accounts for just 0.5c of every €100 of spending, or €58m, and the heading of Rural Development, Regional Affairs and Islands, which accounts for just 18c per €100 of Government spending.
“The purpose of this report is to make it easier for people to understand public spending,” said Dr Nat O’Connor, the report’s author.
The Ireland’s Public Spending Explained 2024 report highlights that the national budget of Ireland is often voted through without clear detail on just where the public’s money will be spent.
In October 2023, the Budget allocated €96.3bn for public services but a further €13.8bn was required for national debt repayments, Ireland’s contribution to the EU, and other ‘non-voted’ areas of public spending.