Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan was awarded the Commander of the Order of Agricultural Merit at a ceremony in Paris on Friday night.

It is an order of merit bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions to agriculture and was created in 1883.

The commander is the highest possible rank of the order and there are just 400 recipients of the rank alive today.

The second rank is officer and the third rank is knight. These awards are limited annually to 60 commanders, 600 officers and 2,400 knights.

Rural way of life

“Family farms and the rural way of life hold a special place in the heart of the French people, and I view it as my mission and my duty to support this treasured way of life, today and in the future,” Phil Hogan said, accepting the title.

“When minister of agriculture Jules Méline established this order in 1883, he argued that in the field of agriculture 'labour was intensive and never-ending, devotion was commonplace but the rewards were rare'."

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the last Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Ciolos was awarded knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit.

Reward our farmers

“My deeply held belief is that we must continue to reward our farmers for the incalculable contribution they make to the well-being of our people, the well-being of our rural areas and the well-being of our precious climate and environment,” Hogan said.

“Today, though, I am honoured beyond words, I want to express my profound gratitude to you.

"I will continue to be a champion of French farmers and French agricultural products wherever I go.”

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