Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the first class work has been done by Mr. O'Toole and the Golden Eagle Trust Limited. I know that the same work goes on in other counties. The buy-in by local farmers and their total co-operation is first class. When one uses a different way to do something one can get a different result and that is what this is all about.

Another issue is the amount of money involved. This year there is about €185 million in the pot for the disadvantaged area scheme. The new agri-environment options scheme, AEOS, is being launched with an expected uptake by between 3,000 to 6,000 with €6,000 in the pot. The AEOS scheme opened in 2011 with €10 million available with a maximum individual payment capped at €4,000 and it was made available to up to 5,000 farmers. It is small enough money in the overall scheme of things. The Department has a big pot of money. There is money available under the rural development programme. A lot of the rural development fund allocated to Ireland under the current scheme might be returned to Europe and it will not be used. We have a real opportunity here if we devise a proper scheme. We must give the people who live in a rural area a proper scheme. Let us have a proper scheme. The Vice Chairman lives on arable land in the south. What if one lives in marginal areas like myself and Senator Ó Cuív? I am referring to places in Leitrim, Donegal and Sligo where there are small farms to whom a few thousand euro would make a huge difference. The money would keep a farmer on his or her land and away from claiming social welfare which would mean a move away from the land. Emigration is another alternative.

The organisations have done an excellent job. Please keep up the good work. Their presentations have been informative and feed into the committee's work programme.