Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has issued a call for food waste reduction initiatives proposals under the 2022 Rural Innovation and Development Fund.
Details
According to a statement published on gov.ie, the call for proposals relates to the provision of services for the support of food waste reduction projects that are designed to reduce the food waste that is generated by food businesses, retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers or suppliers in rural areas, and the deadline for submission of applications is 12 noon on 8 April of this year.
Also according to the statement published on gov.ie, the total funding available is €180,000 for proposals relating to the promotion and/or development of innovative food waste reduction projects that are designed to reduce food waste generated in rural areas, and the maximum amount that will be paid to any project is €60,000 (excl. VAT).
Funding will be awarded on a competitive basis, according to the statement published on gov.ie.
Statement By Minister McConalogue
The statement published on gov.ie also included a statement from Minister McConalogue, in which he said, "Food waste is one of the great challenges of our generation. Tackled effectively, it can play a major role in our efforts to combat climate change.
"Ireland generates over one million tonnes of food waste each year. We need to change this. As we are all acutely aware post-COP 26, time is not on our side in the global fight against climate change. Recent research has found that reducing food waste is now recognised as the number one most effective solution for reversing global warming from a list of 100 solutions.
"While helping to address the food waste issue, this call for proposals will also help to address the Rural Innovation and Development Fund’s overall objective to energise the rural economy by encouraging innovative job creation and sustainable enterprise development. In this current climate it is more important than ever that we support and promote these important initiatives."
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