Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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211. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the financial assistance that will be available for the poultry sector under the next Rural Development Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49004/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The new Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020 will be a key support in enhancing the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, achieving a more sustainable management of natural resources and ensuring a more balanced development of rural areas. The proposed measures in the new RDP have been framed in light of the experience of the previous Programme and are based on an objective analysis of sectoral needs and priorities identified during an extensive consultation process that took place over a period of 18 months. This design process has incorporated issues relevant to the poultry sector.

Relevant measures in the draft RDP include:

- significant support for on farm capital investment, included a strand of support for the pig and poultry sector, and

- a range of knowledge transfer measures including

- knowledge transfer groups in the poultry sector, and

- support for European Innovation Partnerships.