Dr. Andy Bleasdale:

It is the full commonage but it might not be the full extent of the townland. There might be three or four LPISs within the one commonage townland. It could be all declared commonage but there could be four LPIS plots within it, perhaps separated by a road or a fence.

There are still some outstanding areas to assess, 10% of the area. The minimum and maximum figures that have been communicated in my opinion, and I think in that of the Department, are only a starting point in the conversation. This will not be railroaded through. We want this to be a dialogue, an open communication with the farming community. If those numbers are wrong we need to be told so. If they need to be adjusted that will happen. This must be open and transparent. We need to have an open and ongoing dialogue with the farming community about this.

This is an opportunity to protect single farm payments and to provide for agri-environmental schemes into the future. I am arguing for a partnership approach between the Department, the NPWS, the farming community and all the other stakeholders - the farming organisations, the Heritage Council, Birdwatch Ireland and so on, and all the representative bodies, the Golden Eagle Trust, the game councils and so on, to share our experience of how commonages should be managed and come up with a plan that will address the issues that face us. There have been some successes. The Burren farming for conservation programme shows that we can do this with local buy-in, a strong local presence, a partnership approach between the Department, the NPWS and the local IFA. We can do amazing things but it does demand that dialogue and partnership. The high nature value farmland concept is gaining traction and that is an important opportunity for upland farmers in the years ahead. Maybe there will be supports for high nature value farmland and if that is the case they will deliver great value for that farmland if they manage the land properly.

We understand that compromise is the key. We cannot railroad through a solution. It must be done through partnership and that conversation has started. The public is willing to pay, within Ireland and across the European Community, for this biodiversity resource. The next steps include the partnership approach. We can test this model in some commonages. We need to develop the appeals process in a transparent way that allows farmers to engage and tell us if we are wrong. We need to finalise the remaining commonages. We need to communicate the outcomes on a roadmap for the year ahead and to look for incentives through the next rural development programme. However, we are clear in saying that maintaining the status quo of the commonage framework plans is not an option because we are entering into a new phase of management for these areas and we need to look at the potential for the years ahead.

Sin mo chuidse. Gabhaim buíochas le gach éinne agus tá brón orm gur thóg mé beagáinín ró-fhada, ach bhí mé ag iarraidh na pointí sin a chur os bhur gcomhair. Thank you very much.