Dr. John Curtis:

We still do not agree to hypothecation but if there is a cost-benefit analysis and it makes good sense to do them, there is no reason why the Government should not assign expenditure to them. If there is not enough money in the hypothecation, one will still not be able to finance them and will go to the Exchequer in any event.

On the individual proposal, the ESRI does not specifically carry out research in respect of the minutiae of agriculture practices. The Deputy mentioned all these things that farmers can diversify into, providing public services. He talked about flood control, etc. Teagasc's most recent national farm survey, which was published earlier this summer, provides a very insightful table on the average direct payment contributions to income across the different enterprises. In the context of cattle and sheep enterprises, direct payments account for 100% of income. That means that these enterprises are not making money and are not profitable. It seems to me that in any other area of business, one would diversify and change one's business model. It seems the Deputy is suggesting areas of diversification for unprofitable enterprises, some of which account for the greatest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the economy.