Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Dr. Dunford, you said one of your goals is the adoption of the Burren model for high nature value farmland at a national level under the new rural development programme. Are you referring to Pillar 2 of the next round of CAP? Are you proposing that the programme would form part of that? That would seem to make sense if you are seeking a stream of funding.

I know you did not particularly want to talk about commonage, but questions were asked about the ratio of commonage to other land. You probably also know the reason Deputy Ó Cuív first suggested we invite you to the committee was to help inform us for the discussions about the new commonage regulations. Some of your pictures highlight the possibility of clearly and graphically displaying under-stocking and over-stocking and thereby arriving at the correct level. We are trying to come up with recommendations, in the context of the new commonage framework rules, so that one can go out and take a photograph of an optimum level of stocking in every area that is subject to these new controls. One of the concerns of the committee members is that the difference between minimum and maximum is being set in an irrational manner and does not stand up to scientific or practical scrutiny. We are trying to get some common sense into it.

The Burren project is wonderful, but if we were to roll it out nationally it would be quite expensive. Could you respond to this point?

Would the Burren model be practical under Pillar 2 of the new CAP if it was rolled out, as Deputy Carey said, on a wider scale nationally?