Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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813. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason beekeeping activity does not qualify to participate in the knowledge transfer programme run by his Department considering that it is part of Ireland’s €4 billion Rural Development Programme, 2014-2020 (details supplied); if he will amend the terms of this programme to include other agricultural activities such as beekeeping; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27113/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Under the Knowledge Transfer Programme in the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020, Knowledge Transfer Groups are being established across the beef, sheep, dairy, equine, tillage and poultry sectors. The preparatory analysis underpinning the RDP identified a range of key issues to be addressed by these groups, such as matters linked to production quality, financial management, environmentally sustainable practices, and animal health and welfare.

However, the scheme design also allows for individual groups to tailor their Knowledge Transfer meetings to topics of particular relevance to their own circumstances. Thus, it is open to groups to include other agricultural activities in the Programme.

It is also of note that support for conservation of bees is included in GLAS (the agri-environment and climate measure in the RDP) and there is also specific support within the LEADER measure of the RDP for marketing and processing support for enterprises such as honey processors where that is in line with the Local Development Strategies produced in each region. The LEADER measure is administered by my colleague the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.