Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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652. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding 50:50 co-funding for rural development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55555/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The development of a new Rural Development Programme (RDP) under Pillar 2 of the new Common Agricultural Policy will be a key support in enhancing the competitiveness of the agrifood sector, achieving more sustainable management of natural resources and ensuring a more balanced development of rural areas.

Support for the new RDP, 2014-2020 will be co-funded by the European Union via the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the national Exchequer. A general EU co-financing rate of 53% is set out in the Rural Development Regulation but this rate may rise to a maximum of 80% for measures such as farm and business development, co-operation activities, and LEADER projects. Environmental type measures may be co-funded up to 75%.

While an EU allocation of €2,190million is available to Ireland, €2,037 million of this is allocated to measures to be delivered via the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The remaining €153 million of the EU funding is allocated to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government for the delivery of measures via the LEADER mechanism.

I have recently announced that an overall national co-financing rate of 46% will be applied to the measures under the RDP to be delivered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. A total fund of €3.94bn will be available over the lifetime of the new RDP for the measures to be delivered via the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.