Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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958. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding provided to the BRIDE project in 2022; the amount allocated for 2023; and if he plans to extend this funding beyond 2023. [27755/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Biodiversity Regeneration In a Dairying Environment (BRIDE) project was a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Project funded by my Department under Ireland’s Rural Development Programme 2014-2022.

The project is based in the River Bride valley of north County Cork, which constitutes part of the River Blackwater Special Area of Conservation, and aims to design and implement a results-based approach to conserve, enhance and restore habitats in lowland intensive farmland.

The project launched in 2018 with a total budget of €1.1 million awarded to the Operational Group. To end 2022 €543,933.16, had been drawn down with payments made. The remainder of the budget is eligible for drawn down in 2023, subject to the meeting the objectives of the project and the conditions of the EIP Scheme.

The BRIDE Project was one the projects which were selected from the first Open Call for EIPs in 2018. All of these EIPs will conclude by end 2023. A new call for proposals for locally-led schemes will take place in quarter three 2023.