This is a subscriber-only article
Funding of up to €6,000 has been allocated to 119 agricultural shows across rural Ireland, according to Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys.
Show associations will receive between €5,000 and €6,000 each, based on their vouched expenditure.
A funding pool totalling €700,000 will be divided in this way to support the return of the agricultural shows over the coming months.
The minister also announced the approval of over €313,000 in LEADER programme funding to the Irish Shows Association.
The funding will be used to support the roll out of a national shows management software system for use by agricultural and rural shows nationwide.
Minister Humphreys said: “Between cattle best of breed, dog shows, sheep and poultry competitions and music, the events are extremely popular and I’m delighted to support their return to the summer calendar.
“[Shows] are a shop window for what is produced locally and bring visitors from near and far. Practically every weekend over the coming months there is an agricultural show on somewhere in Ireland. I urge people to get out, enjoy them and give them your full support.”
Rural communities
Minister Humphreys said that it is of “vital importance to our rural communities that we support the efforts of the show committees and the work of their volunteers”.
“I hope that this funding will help put the shows on a firmer financial footing and provide vital support to the committees,” she said.
The minister clarified that the €313,000 to support a new online show management system was approved by the local action groups in Monaghan, Mayo, Cork west and Galway east as part of the LEADER programme co-operation measure.
SHARING OPTIONS: