Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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I thank the officials from the Commission for taking time to meet us today. My question is related to the high nature value of farms here. Some people hold the view that increasing farm and food production and increasing biodiversity are mutually exclusive. In terms of maximising land use, what is the Commission's view on using areas of high nature value to offset against areas of intensive production in the context of compensating for biodiversity? Is it the case that everything must be dealt with at landholder level? Is it at that level that biodiversity must be protected and increased and greening must take place? Must the increase in production take place at that level as well or could a member state, on a regional level, support increased wetlands production or similar to offset the intensification that may take place in another region?