Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentation. At least we now have a guide which will clarify the situation to some degree. We have all been dealing with queries since payments were made last year when people were penalised and many had questions.

I am very concerned about burning, a point which was raised earlier. In 2011, there were major fires across the country. In many cases it was not farmers who lit fires. Others lit them and burned large areas of mountains. A new house close to where I live was burned. I made representations on a couple of occasions on behalf of farmers who were penalised and did not receive payments. Such cases concerned instances where fences in forests were burned down and there was a need to determine who was liable where there was no insurance.

A lot of over-grazing has developed because of the de-stocking in the past. Farmers have asked us how to get the overgrown woolly heather under control. Can it be mulched? Can it be sprayed if it is in an NHA or SAC area? Can it be heavily grazed by horses or other animals? If sheep could, in time, manage it, is that acceptable? If the heather is fairly tall and one grazes sheep on it, over the years it is to be hoped it could be grazed back down.

Another major issue is land for which applications were not submitted in 2008 or before. Is there any way that land can be included? Young farmers are showing an interest in farming, which is a good thing. They have completed green certificates or agricultural courses and may come across mountains that have not been farmed or for which claims have not been made. Is there any way to include such land for younger people?