Fifty-five groups have expressed interest in running the new EU Leader-plus (Leader+) rural development programmes, it emerged at the weekend.
According to Mr Noel Davern, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, 42 of these groups have also expressed an interest in delivering both the Leader and the new national rural development programmes.
Leader+ will replace the highly successful Leader II programme, which promotes rural development, introduced as part of the 1992 reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Mr Davern welcomed the high level of interest in running the programmes and said that in due course he would be inviting the groups to submit comprehensive business plans.
He said they needed the intervening time to formulate plans to run the programmes based on the needs of their areas.
Mr Davern said there would be total funding of £117 million for Leader+ up to the year 2006. He said it would give a real impetus to local development and underpin the effort and commitment of local communities.