Mr. Dermot Murphy:

On Deputy McConalogue's point on the donkeys, there was a stakeholder consultation and as part of that there was some feedback and suggestion that non-farmers and people one would not usually associate with farming were using donkeys for the purposes of the livestock unit requirement. There was also suggestion the donkeys were being brought in from England. It was in that overall context that that review was taking place. We work closely with The Donkey Sanctuary and are conscious of the implications of this change from a welfare point of view. We are meeting The Donkey Sanctuary on Friday next, and with Mr. Joe Collins MRCVS, to discuss possible implications. Issues were raised in the whole examination of the areas of natural constraint, ANC, on how it and the compensatory payments were being operated. This relates to that suggestion of the use of donkeys by non-farmers, that is people who had land but would not normally be associated with farming.