Dublin, 7th of October 2026. Ahead of the yearly budget talks in the Irish Parliament, the Vegan Society of Ireland has sent in a proposal calling on the government to create a national action plan for plant-based foods and dedicated funds for plant-based food in Budget 2027.
The aim is to support the Irish fruits and vegetable growers and to increase the intake of plant-based foods such as legumes, fruits and vegetables. A dedicated funding scheme should support both growers and the uptake in the population, and thereby the proposal mirrors the Danish approach from the Danish Plant-Based Food Grant, that aims to balance supply and demand and to assist in strengthening the value chains.
Such a grant could, according to the Vegan Society, help the Irish growers and secure Irish grown fruits and vegetables for the consumers. According to the organisation Ireland imports about 83% of the fruit and vegetables they eat, and fewer than 70 commercial vegetable growers remain, down from more than 600 in the 1990s.
Although there was no inclusion of such a fund in the budget proposed on the 6th of October, the proposal from The Vegan Society gained support from the Irish Farmers Association, IFA.
In an interview, IFA President Francie Gorman agreed that more support for the horticultural sector would be “really, really welcome”, and praised the Vegan Society of Ireland proposal for a national plant-based food fund.
Denmark’s action plan and plant fund as inspiration
The Danish Action Plan for Plant-based Foods and Plant-Based Food Grant are stated as inspiration for the proposal. The two pieces of policy create a unique holistic approach to funding, where measures and projects balance both demand and supply. Because without a market, farmers won’t grow. The Danish grant also includes a mechanism that secures 50 % of the funds to support plant-based/organic projects. Making the grant also a driver of organic plant-based development.
Irish people would like to eat more legumes, fruits and vegetables
And there is scope in Ireland to increase the uptake of plant-based foods, that can create the needed market for growers. In June 2026, a national survey was conducted, concluding that more than 4 in 5 Irish adults (81%) want to eat more fruits, vegetables and legumes, signaling an overwhelming public appetite for a more plant-based diet.
The Irish public supports political changes in support of plant-based foods
The survey also concluded that there is support in the Irish public to act. Almost 2 in 3 (62%) believe that Ireland should make healthy and sustainable diets a national political priority. More than half (52%) want Ireland to become a global leader in plant-based food production and over half (51%) support incentivising plant-based agriculture through government policy, showing that backing for reform extends beyond the dinner plate and into the farm.
The consumer survey and this article is made as part of an EU project, which has received grants from the Green Development and Demonstration Programme (GUDP) under the Ministry of Business and Competitiveness of Denmark.
