Proposals ‘will dilute rural interests’

RURAL interests will be seriously diluted in the proposals by Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Eamon Ó Cuiv to realign LEADER companies and social inclusion programmes into one structure, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association warned yesterday.

ICMSA Rural Development Committee chairman Tommy Cooke said the merging of rural development and social-inclusion programmes is not a natural fit and the broad-based focus of the former is likely to be damaged by the marriage.

He said the proposals will effectively eliminate existing high-performing LEADER groups, which have proven their worth in rural development, and establish new county-based structures with no track record.

“If it is not broken, why fix it,” asked Mr Cooke, who said a review of Mr Ó Cuiv’s handling of the cohesion process is urgently required.

He said this review must include members of the farming organisations, Teagasc and senior officials of the Department of Agriculture and Food.

However, Mr Ó Cuiv said recently he is determined the delivery of community services is organised in such a way that the public will not get bogged down and “shut out” by a maze of organisations, services and programmes.

The objective of the cohesion process is the streamlining of local, community and rural development organisations.

This is to achieve full geographic coverage of the State. The intention is that from 2007, there will be one body delivering services in any given area.