Supporting on-farm food processing

Barry Cowen MEP visited Brookfield Farm in Coolbawn, County Tipperary, on Friday, July 17, to see how farm diversification is working in practice and to discuss how future Irish and European agricultural policy could better support on-farm food processing.

The visit brought European agricultural policy into the fields, sheds and working spaces of Brookfield Farm. During a tour led by farmer Ailbhe Gerrard, the discussion moved from organic crops and sheep to beekeeping, rural tourism, education, cultural activity and the practical infrastructure needed to bring Irish-grown food from the field to the customer.

MEP Cowen represents the Midlands–North-West constituency and is a member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. He is also a Renew Europe shadow rapporteur for the proposed Common Agricultural Policy framework for 2028–2034, giving the visit particular relevance as the shape of the next CAP is considered.

Brookfield Farm has developed gradually from a conventional barley enterprise into a diverse organic farm combining sheep, cereals, beans and peas, honeybees, woodland management, food production, craft, education and visitor experiences.

The farm is also home to Field Exchange, a creative climate programme bringing farmers, artists, researchers and communities together to explore questions of land use, food, biodiversity and rural futures.

During the visit, Ailbhe outlined how these activities are connected rather than separate. Crop rotations support soil fertility; bees and woodland strengthen biodiversity; visitors create opportunities to explain how food is produced; and educational, cultural and tourism activities bring people back into a living relationship with farmland.

This approach was recently recognised in the European report Growing Resilience: Farm Diversification Stories from Across the EU. The report describes Brookfield’s transition from conventional barley production through the introduction of sheep, different cereals, honeybees and, eventually, legumes. It includes Ailbhe’s reflection:

A central focus of Barry Cowen’s visit was Brookfield Farm’s proposed small-scale facility for processing peas, beans and other crops grown on the farm.

Legumes bring important benefits to an organic farming system. They fix nitrogen, support soil fertility, widen the crop rotation and reduce dependence on external fertiliser inputs. They can also contribute to Ireland’s food security and lessen Europe’s dependence on imported protein crops.

However, growing the crop is only the beginning. Beans and peas intended for human consumption generally need to be dried, cleaned, graded, sorted, dehulled, weighed and packaged. Across Europe, farmers report that suitable small-scale processing facilities are scarce. Crops may have to travel long distances for processing, while the cost of purchasing specialised equipment can be beyond the reach of an individual farm. The Growing Resilience report therefore recommends both CAP investment support for on-farm processing and support for shared or collective processing facilities.

For Brookfield Farm, the proposed processing facility would help bridge the gap between producing a field crop and creating a food ingredient that can be sold to chefs, bakeries, food businesses and, eventually, consumers.

It would allow more of the value created on the farm to remain on the farm.

A role for CAP and State investment

The discussion highlighted that farm diversification requires more than encouragement. It requires buildings, machinery, technical advice, food-safety systems, market development and capital investment.

The European report identifies financing as one of the most significant barriers faced by farmers. Although legumes offer long-term benefits to soil and rotations, farmers cannot wait indefinitely for those benefits while carrying the immediate cost of seed, machinery, processing and market development. The report specifically recommends that the next CAP include investment support for diversification projects, including the on-farm processing of crops.

The visit underlined the need for a joined-up response combining:

- CAP investment and transition supports;

- accessible State capital grants;

- affordable and appropriately structured finance;

- clear rules for small-scale food processing;

- stronger local and regional supply chains; and

- market development for Irish-grown legumes and grains.

MEP Cowen’s visit provided an opportunity to bring that experience directly into the European policy conversation and to demonstrate that diversification is not an abstract ambition. It is already being shaped, crop by crop and enterprise by enterprise, on farms such as Brookfield.