Mr. Colm O'Donnell:

I have one or two points. Mr. Henry O'Donnell has covered quite a bit of it. To reply to Deputy Cahill, we are not here to create civil war but I take on board that it will be a contentious issue and one where there has to be a political willingness and consensus. We would like to be involved in that process as a national farming organisation and have an input with all the stakeholders who will no doubt have a public forum on this.

The current situation with stocking rates on commonages and how it is working was mentioned. Part of the reason for the problem of sustainable levels of stock on these hills is a compulsory cull way back and also a lack of a review in the commonage framework plan.

The review was supposed to be done in five years but we were 13 years in before it took place. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has put together sustainable figures based on the different land types. We are calling for a review of the commonage management plan mid-term through GLAS. Such a review is vital in order to see whether the plans are sustainable and are working well. We need to ensure the farmers who are in the scheme remain viable.

Regarding the low-input permanent pasture parcels, these might be areas where the fellows with the privately owned mountain, to whom Mr. Henry O'Donnell referred, cannot build a payment under GLAS. If there is a small amount of heather, they are excluded from that option. It was one of the only measures open to them, other than the traditional hay meadow that probably was not as suitable as this particular measure for the individuals in question. They have high nature value land but are excluded from building a payment. Bird boxes, bait boxes and so on do not build one a payment. These farmers cannot get up to anywhere near the national average payment. That issue needs to be examined and reviewed.

For everyone who has a designation on their land, there are 39 notifiable actions. Deputy Fitzmaurice mentioned fencing. Under health and safety, the fencing of lands, whether they have a designation or not, must surely be an issue. It is a requirement under the basic payment scheme, but the appeals that have come through in respect of farmers who have tried to fence off their land and farm it make reference to the fencing being obtrusive and degrading of the landscape. The bottom line is that farmers have to farm that land. Deputy Fitzmaurice is right about the dog and the farmer continuing to go up the side of the hill. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has a role here because it is the authority for screening and approval of these notifiable actions. We have to deal with the NPWS, the Department and the county councils. I appreciate what Senator Conway-Walsh said about State-enforced costs, which we referred to in our opening statement.