Mr. Paul Savage:

That is a key issue, but the experience in general in the Burren Life programme, although it is early days for the hen harrier and the freshwater pearl mussel, and the way the various local actors engage in the process have been shown to be pretty successful and people are happy with their contribution. The Burren has been held up as an example of the kind of scheme we would consider replicating, but there is the question of how to pay for that. It is much more expensive to support locally led schemes because of the range of actors involved and the particular circumstances in those areas.

It is a question of striking a balance, to get the maximum possible environmental benefit out of our expenditure next time around, and to what extent we mix the components to achieve a broader scheme or a more targeted scheme that would achieve particular environmental benefit in certain years. That will be subject to public consultation and our needs assessment in the next few months in the context. It is certainly a challenge for us. At the very least we will have an approach that allows us to achieve that basic environmental conditionality in Pillar 1, add a little bit in the context of ecoschemes and add further in Pillar 2.

Suckler support comes up in respect of coupling. We can accept the Commission's proposals on coupled supports. It is talking about reducing that from 13+2% for specific schemes such as protein schemes to 10+2%. We have a long history of applying payments on a decoupled basis. The decoupled element which provides the income support to allow farmers make the choices they need to in terms of production, combined with the targeted measures we can put in place under Pillar 2, achieves the kind of ambitions we want to achieve. We would not be considering a greater level of support as far as coupled supports are concerned. We would say we can accept what the Commission proposes currently.

I am not sure what the Deputy's suggestion of a separate package for farmers in designated areas, delivered through the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, might involve.