Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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922. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when it is intended to introduce a new agri-environment scheme under the Common Agricultural Policy 2014-2020; the process involved in acquiring EU approval of same; the progress made to date in this process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46570/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The revised CAP 2014 – 2020 requires that the new Rural Development Plan must include an agri-environment scheme.

The process for the design of new schemes under the new CAP is well underway. Under the current draft Rural Development Regulation, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine must undertake an ex ante evaluation, a public consultation, a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) a needs assessment, and a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in developing our Rural Development Programme. An independent evaluator has been contracted to prepare the ex-ante evaluation report, SEA, and an Appropriate Assessment and to advise on the SWOT analysis. An initial consultation process was launched in 2012, and written submissions were received from over 80 stakeholders. These submissions have been analysed by my Department and have fed into the development of the SWOT and needs analyses.

A second consultation was held in July, where stakeholders attended a full day workshop on the draft SWOT and needs analyses. Based on the outcome of these processes, the drafting of the new programme is being advanced in the Department, and it is intended that further stakeholder consultation will form part of this.

Following the completion of the design phase, a draft Rural Development Programme will be submitted to the European Commission. It is expected that discussions with the Commission over a number of months will be required in order to secure approval to the Rural Development Programme.