Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 2 March 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action
Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source
I will conclude on this. A similar issue exists in regard to the hen harrier in the area where I live, in east Clare. I am not a beneficiary of it, just to put it on the record. However, many farmers are. The idea behind putting in place a specific scheme for the hen harrier was to ensure that farmers farmed in a way that was in sympathy with nature and protected a rare species.
It seems to me that we are no longer rewarding them any more for it. I accept what the Minister said about broadening but if you negatively affect those who have come to depend on that line item of income, it sends the wrong signal. I am hopeful the departmental officials will find a way to work with the Minister and all of us to ensure those schemes are protected.
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