Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have two questions. In regard to the Burren-type schemes, my understanding is that this time around, under the principle that one cannot get paid twice for the same thing, a farmer cannot get payments under GLAS for the hen harrier scheme and a Burren-type scheme because it is considered to be paying the person twice for the same thing.

I am sure Deputy McNamara can correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding of what happened the last time is that farmers in the Burren were able to get REPS and the Burren scheme on top of it and nobody really queried the overlap of the two schemes. I understand that on this occasion, this is strongly prohibited under EU regulations. If one's GLAS area already incorporates or encapsulates hen harriers, pearl mussels or whatever, how will that operate? Will one be allowed to amend one's plan in such circumstances?

Maybe I am wrong, but I understand that the environmental advantage of genomics is that it involves bulls of a better quality that produce beef more efficiently with a better conversion rate, etc. I do not know whether the beef is better to eat. I understand the argument in favour of the environmental approach is that more beef is produced from less grass, and with fewer carbon emissions at the end of it. Has the Department quantified how much of a reduction in carbon or methane there will be if this programme is successful? Will there be a reduction of 5%, 10% or 30% as a result of this scheme? I presume something has been worked out with the European Union to measure the carbon benefit of this genomic scheme.