Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason farmers who were participants in the dairy efficiency scheme 2010-12 are not deemed eligible for inclusion on the new sheep technology adoption programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7222/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Dairy Efficiency Programme (DEP) 2010 to 2012 was open to all dairy farmers and its success was the reason I decided to introduce similar programmes for beef and sheepmeat farmers. Indeed the Sheep Technology Adoption Programme (STAP) is based on the same successful discussion group model of the DEP and is a key element in driving the ambitious target for the sheepmeat Sector in Food Harvest 2020.

The STAP is intended to provide participants with the knowledge and the skills necessary to improve on-farm technical efficiency in a number of key areas. The sheep sector is a key part of the Agrifood sector, especially in marginal land areas and there is huge scope to improve farm incomes through focusing on issues such as grassland management, financial management, breeding, health and welfare and environmental efficiency. As funding for this scheme is capped at €3 million for 2013 and as dairy farmers have already benefitted from DEP 2010 to 2012, a policy decision was taken to focus STAP on drystock farmers having sheep or cattle.