Mr. Brendan Gleeson:

I will explain the process of approval and perhaps reflect on where we were 20 years ago. We planted on deep peatlands 20 years ago. Our understanding of the net emissions factors from planting on deep peatlands is different now than it was then. Maybe it was not even a consideration then. Most of that was done between the 1950s and the 1980s. We are one of the few member states that provides grants for forestry so we needed state aid approval and conditions were applied in the context of that state aid approval. Those conditions relate to peat, high nature value farmland, breeding waders, hen harriers and wetlands. Therefore for every application we get we have to do that assessment. That is the reality we are living with.

A review of the programme will take place in 2025, but it is important to say that the Commission sought the review. The Commission did not seek the review with a view to watering down the environmental requirements. If people are waiting to see some dilution of these factors, it will not happen. It just will not. I want to kill that idea straight away. When we do the review, we will hold a full public consultation and we will have to go back to the Commission. We went through a long process with the Commission. People will know that as we were in and out of the committee regularly during that process. However, without the application of these conditions, many of which have their roots in legislative requirements anyway, we would not have a programme now. I do not want people to think the review will allow us to dilute these requirements. That is very unlikely.