Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Curley very much. He has spoken a lot this evening about the restoration of land. I am a farmer and I take the restoration of land to mean making it productive but this is going in the exact opposite direction. We found the briefing very good. It is time that we sat down with the Minister and pointed out these issues. We have a serious problem at the moment with getting land for forestry. This is going to make the availability of land for forestry impossible, as the amount available will be reduced. At the moment a good proportion of land is designated as SACs or protected areas for various birds and the compensation paid to farmers is minuscule. The capital value of designated land has been reduced by 80%. After such designation, land that was worth €4,000 or €5,000 an acre is worth €1,000 or €1,200 an acre. If the proposals Mr. Curley talks about go ahead, the capital value of the land that will be "restored" will be decimated. Regarding Sweden and its opposition to this measure, it is time that some straight talking was done. As he stated, the world's ability to feed its population is coming under more and more pressure. The climatic benefits must be balanced with our ability to produce food. He has given us a very clear indication of the impending regulation. I expect we will be back to him in the future to inform us further as this regulation progresses through the Commission. I thank him for his prompt reply to us and for coming before the committee this evening.