Irish farmers impacted by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine have been allocated €15.8 million in extra supports.
On Wednesday, the European Union (EU) announced €500 million in aid for European farmers facing difficulties due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement of supports comes as farmers continue to struggle with rising costs for food, feed and fuel.
One issue raised by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) was the rising price of fertilizer, up 127 per cent on last year.
The EU executive stressed on Wednesday that there was no immediate threat to EU food security, given the bloc is a net exporter of cereals.
However, recognising farmers will face higher fuel and feed prices, the EU will distribute €500 million to the 27 EU members to aid farmers hardest hit by the crisis, particularly if they are engaged in more environmentally friendly production.
EU members can add a further €1 billion to the aid budget.
The EU executive will also let farmers temporarily grow crops on the almost 6 per cent of EU agricultural land that is set aside to boost biodiversity.
The Commission believes this, along with record Indian exports, will help cover some of the 20 million tonnes of wheat which Ukraine normally exports.
The funding from the EU comes after the Government approved a package of supports for Irish farmers to produce more native grain and protein crops in response to the crisis in Ukraine.
Some €12.2 million in funding is being provided by the State to help farmers deal with challenges related to the availability and price, of animal feed and fertilisers.
- Additional reporting by Reuters
