Charlie McConalogue
Ceist:259. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the project team for the new Freshwater Pearl Mussel Programme. [20786/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 10 May 2018
Ceisteanna (259)
Freagraí scríofa
I am pleased to say that a team to administer the Freshwater Pearl Mussel Programme has been selected following a detailed competitive procurement process.
The new programme is a locally-led project, funded under the European Innovation Partnership measure which forms part of the Irish Rural Development Programme. Its design and management will be the responsibility of the project team who will liaise closely with officials from my Department, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and local farming communities as the new programme is rolled-out.
I am delighted to see this new programme get underway and believe it will make a significant contribution not just to the conservation of the Freshwater Pearl Mussel, which is a critically endangered species, but also to the wider social and economic wellbeing of the communities concerned.
I will be in a position to provide more information in the coming months as the new project team develops the programme.