Vol. 514 No. 4
117 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the number of equine AI projects sanctioned by his Department; the location of these under the ABT scheme; the number originally approved by his Department; and the number taken up. [4423/00]
Eleven equine AI projects were approved for grant aid in April 1997 under the artificial breeding techniques scheme of the Operational Programme for Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry 1994 – 1999. Those 11 applicants were located in the following general areas: Bandon, County Cork; Mullingar, County Westmeath; Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare; Skibbereen, County Cork; Tralee, County Kerry; Swinford, County Mayo; Cahir, County Tipperary; Naas, County Kildare; Fermoy, County Cork; Letterkenny, County Donegal; Carndonagh, County Donegal.
Nine of the applicants proceeded with their proposed projects. Four of these have drawn down the grant available under the scheme. Work on the remaining five projects is at an advanced stage.
