Fears that new structures will hit rural development

FARMERS have warned that rural development will suffer due to being combined with social inclusion programmes in new county structures which will implement LEADER and other local development initiatives.

IFA rural development chairman Padraic Divilly said the new structures put in place by Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Éamon Ó Cuív will have five county councillors, while social partner groupings — employers, trade unions and farmers — are offered only one seat each, and state organisations of huge relevance to rural areas may not be included.

Macra na Feirme president Colm Markey has slammed the structure proposals from Mr Ó Cuív, saying the groups will be over-populated with county councillors and up to seven semi-state staff, rather than driven by community leaders. He said the proposed one farmer representative out of potential membership of 21 was hard to credit.

“The reality is that farming is still the major industry in most rural areas and the cornerstone of rural development,” he said.

Tommy Cooke, chairman of ICMSA’s Rural Development Committee, said the proposals are supported by senior Government officials who have long been wary of LEADER companies’ autonomy.

Referring to Mr Ó Cuív, he said, “His recent announcements at separate meetings in Sligo, Cavan and Monaghan that the newly merged boards of management would have a reduced membership from the rural sectors, no Teagasc representative and a probable lessening of the representation of the farming organisations like ICMSA, is symptomatic of the reduction in rural influence.”

“At the same time, all the bureaucratic social inclusion stalwarts such as FÁS, the Department of Social and Family Affairs, the VECs, county managers, etc will be guaranteed a place.”

“The proposed structure will effectively eliminate existing high-performing LEADER groups which have proven their worth in rural development,” said Mr Cooke.

The proposals stem from Minister Ó Cuív’s streamlining of local and community agencies delivering the LDSIP (Local Development Social Inclusion Programme) and Rural Development programmes. According to Mr Ó Cuív, the major advantages are that the State will be able to deliver programmes such as the Rural Social Scheme through unified structures, because they will have all-area cover. Full national integration of LEADER and Partnership groups (including Community Partnerships) is targeted by the end of 2006.