Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A beehive could become a livestock unit. I am not saying an individual bee should be a livestock unit. That would be pushing it. We need to think outside the box. Unless we can get farmers to buy into this and see a role from which they can generate productivity, we will not be able to deliver. That is the reality. I know farmers in many parts of the country who keep a small amount of stock just to get their payments. That could be leveraged for a particular type of stock that would have a biodiversity advantage as well.

It is one of the possibilities that should be examined. I am also aware that invasive species are going to be a big issue. A lot of farmers are getting involved in forestry, particularly native forestry. There are issues and there is fear regarding what happened with ash dieback. There are threats of beetles and various other invasive species from other parts of the world coming in and possibly causing damage. Farmers are very hesitant to go down that road again because of the difficulties they have had in the past.