Written answers
Tuesday, 9 April 2024
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
EU Programmes
Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1046. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it is intended to introduce an EIP scheme specially for the Aran Islands, County Galway due to the extremely valuable natural heritage there and the fact that the ACRES scheme does not suit the very small farms on the island with its patchwork of very small fields which has meant that less than half the farmers are participating in the ACRES scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15391/24]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There are no plans to open an EIP call specifically targeted at the Aran Islands under the CAP Strategic Plan. However, it is open to any groups, regardless of geographic location, to submit a proposal under future EIP calls, provided that they meet the criteria associated with those calls.
As the Deputy may be aware, European Innovation Partnership (EIP) projects involve the establishment of Operational Groups to work together, to share their ideas and to turn existing knowledge and research into innovative solutions. I acknowledge the excellent work done to date under the EIP Programme, and am pleased to note that ACRES has been designed using, amongst other things, learnings from that Programme, including two projects located on the Aran Islands.
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