Sinn Féin MLA's Bronwyn McGahan and Declan McAleer have called on rural stakeholders to have their say on the new Rural Development Programme. The two MLAs have organised a public consultation for Thursday 3 October in Kelly's Inn, Garvaghey at 7pm.

Ms McGahan ssaid: "DARD has already hosted a number of public consultations across the North but given the population and rural nature of County Tyrone, we strongly felt it would be necessary to facilitate an additional opportunity for the public to have their say. We jointly lobbied the Department of Agriculture to send officials to this meeting and they acceded to our request.

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"The consultation event will enable stake holders to have their say on the shape of the new programme so that it delivers the best outcomes for everyone living or working in rural areas."

Mr Mc Aleer MLA added: "The new programme has been developed in line with Europe 2020 strategic objectives and the EU's rural development priorities, which includes recognition of the importance of measures to tackle poverty and social isolation in rural areas."

(CD/JP)