Mr. Colm Hayes:

I will invite my colleague, Mr. Moore, to comment on the question about planting on peaty soils. I absolutely agree with the Senator's comments on agroforestry. One of the main initiatives we took in the mid-term review was to treble the rate of agroforestry. The Minister hosted an open day recently on a site in Kilcock, County Kildare. We also increased the grant rates. It is a bit of slow burner. Some of the feedback on it suggests that the premium period needs to be longer and the Minister has publicly commented on that. That is something that we need to reflect on in the context of the next forestry programme. I share the Senator's enthusiasm for agroforestry because it is a good gateway into forestry and allows for farming and forestry to co-exist. We are big supporters of it and we will definitely see more of it in the future.