Mr. Seamus Barron:

I will be happy to but I might first return to the point on cattle prices. This relates to a recommendation in the action plan and we are following up on it such that cattle prices will be reported, so it is a work in progress.

As regards paperwork and bureaucracy, animal welfare requirements are a high priority for organic farming. Specific EU legislation pertains to animal welfare. Any paperwork requirements are not the Department's but rather concern compliance with organic legislation.

As the Deputy noted, the current minimum stocking rate is 0.5 livestock units. It is 32.5 kg of livestock manure nitrogen per hectare, which is the equivalent of one half of a suckler cow per hectare, which is quite an extensive stocking rate. The reasons for having the minimum stocking rate are to maintain a minimum level of activity of grazing management to ensure that sward management and biodiversity are optimised, and to ensure a minimum level of production of organic beef and lamb to meet supply chain requirements and consumer demands.

Commonage is currently not eligible for OFS payments, primarily because under legislation, there cannot be intermixing of organic and non-organic stock. It is very difficult, therefore, to meet the requirement on commonage.