Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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801. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will make the terms and conditions available for the equine technical support scheme operated by his Department for 2024 and 2025; if he can confirm the recipients of the funding, the initiative supported, the amount of grant awarded and eventually paid to date to each recipient, in tabular form; if he is satisfied that each recipient of the funding met the stated eligibility criteria; the non-Department costs of each initiative, and how that shortfall was funded; to highlight any deviation from the stated criteria and the reasons for such deviation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61398/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Equine Technical and Equine Breeding Scheme 2024 and 2025 comprised of three programme headings: General Programme; Training/Education Programme; and Research into Equine Diseases Programme. The funding is provided to support various equine industry projects. Applicants must comply with the specific terms and conditions of each programme which are published annually on my Department's website. The 2024 and 2025 ETS Terms and Condition for these programmes are attached and the link to the 2026 ETS Scheme and Conditions is Animal Breeding).

As per EU Regulation 2022/2472, certain project costs may be capped in respect of the maximum funding permitted by my Department towards the overall cost of the project. Any shortfall in funding a project as a result of applying these caps is a matter for the recipient.

A detailed breakdown of the recipients of the 2024 funding, the initiatives supported, and the grant awarded is attached. All recipients of payments in 2024 met the eligibility criteria. In 2024, certain research projects were granted a deviation to allow extra time for research reports to be published.

The 2025 projects are currently being assessed for payments. However, a list of the 2025 approvals can be found at ETS_2025_Approved_Projects_140425.pdf.