Vol. 573 No. 4
205 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of delegates his Department will send to the conference on rural futures to be held in Salzburg between 12 and 14 November; and the priorities his Department will emphasise. [25865/03]
Seventeen delegates from Ireland will attend the conference, of whom four will be officials from my Department. The purpose of the conference is to reflect upon the experience with the current generation, 2000 to 2006, of rural development policies, since rural development became the second pillar of the CAP in Agenda 2000, and draw lessons for the future. My Department is responsible for several important EU co-funded schemes within the second pillar: REP scheme, early retirement, compensatory allowances for disadvantaged areas, farm waste and dairy hygiene. My Department's participation in the conference will focus primarily on experience with these schemes. Within the specific themes identified for detailed examination at the conference, my Department will concentrate in particular on: the role of rural development policy in the restructuring of agriculture; the role of rural development in environmental and land management; and the implementation of rural development policy and how the delivery system can be simplified.
