Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine ìf he will outline the status of the DEP Discussion Groups fund and if new entrants will be facilitated in 2013. [1403/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Last year was the final year of the three year Dairy Efficiency Programme (DEP). However, following the acknowledged and demonstrated success of Discussion Groups under that Programme in meeting the development goals for the dairy sector as set out in the Food Harvest 2020 strategy, I secured specific funding in the recent Budget of €1 million for a continuation of the Dairy Discussion Group concept within the dairy sector. Today I introduced a new follow on Programme, referred to as the Development Programme for Dairying (DPD), which will afford milk suppliers who did not take part in the earlier DEP Discussion Groups an opportunity to do so now. It will focus on developing those farmers who, as yet, do not have their own milking facilities but are committed to a career in dairying.