State's Leader initiative proposal approved

The European Commission has approved Ireland's programme for the EU Leader Plus initiative, allowing funds to be made available to applicant groups by autumn, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr Eamon O Cuiv, has announced.

Mr O Cuiv welcomed the approval of the programme, which he said would also clear the way for the complementary Leader Mainstream National Rural Development Programme. The two programmes, worth £117 million, would run in tandem to ensure all areas of the country benefited from some activity, he said.

A total of 89 groups had applied for funding under the programmes, and the selection of groups to deliver the funding was under way, he said.

Leader, an EU initiative for rural development, facilitates the provision of finance to local groups with business plans for their areas. Funding of the groups is approved under detailed operating rules drawn up by the Department and approved by the Commission.

The IFA welcomed the approval of the programme and called on the Minister for Agriculture to implement it immediately. The association's rural development chairman, Mr Michael Bergin, said the agreement would set Leader companies on a firmer financial footing to implement plans which would have tangible benefits for rural areas.