Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Commission representatives for their presentations this morning. We have a difficulty at times in bringing farmers with us because in their experience, environmental measures do not always make sense. Farmers are custodians of the land and pride themselves on minding the land better than most. There are environmental issues such as calendar farming, which results in restrictions on slurry spreading at certain times. There are stipulations on when farmers can plough ground and this does not make sense to them when, potentially, there will be a very dry time ahead but the weather may be conducive for that activity now and yet it is not allowed. Conversely, it may be allowed during a very wet time and farmers are obliged to go out with their slurry at that stage. There is a difficulty for us in explaining to farmers that it is a common sense environmental approach.

At the same time we have a good tradition, through cross-compliance and our engagement with the likes of the rural environment protection scheme, in terms of how well we have bought into environmental projects in the past. We have seen it more recently with the agri-environment options scheme and this will continue this in future. We have to get the balance right in being able to expand, as we hope to do with our dairy and beef industries, and in respect of the comments of the Commission representatives on flexibility around a regional ecological approach, which is very important to us given that this is a relatively small country.

My final question is on forestry in light of the new EU forestry strategy and sustainable forestry management. Ireland has continued to invest in forestry in recent years in a difficult economic climate and when it was difficult for our Minister to fight for the budget. Will the Commission representatives outline their view on our afforestation programme in Ireland?