Climate change was selected by 43 per cent of farmers as one of the three most important issues they face out of a list of eight.

The Peaceplus funding will help to create family support hubs, social enterprise, green infrastructure and social farming.

Chief executive of Irish Rural Link, Seamus Boland, said the vote in Ireland's rural areas will "never go too far to the left"

Three projects have been successful in securing the Peaceplus investment.

Only Finland and Sweden have a higher proportion of all road fatalities on rural roads