Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The funding for any such financial instruments would have to be drawn on the existing rural development programme allocation of the European agriculture fund for rural development, as well as national Exchequer funding. The door is not closed on this one. Just yesterday, officials of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine held a meeting with officials from the Department of Finance, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland on the uses and rules of financial instruments and funding requirements for the agrifood sector. The meeting proved useful and informative. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will reflect on the discussions within the meeting and is considering a series of steps based on those discussions. I suppose it is a matter of advising the Deputy to watch this space.

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