Mr. Donal Sheehan:

The BRIDE Project operates by paying for the space for nature. We map every farm. We are able to map the land that is in habitats, whether there might be 11% as in the example, or 50% space for nature and 50% for food production. We score those habitats based on quality. The quantity payment is €200 per hectare if it is under 5%, going up to €300 per hectare between 5% and 9%. Once the area hits 10%, it goes to €400 per hectare, and at 20% or above, it is €500 per hectare. We have to deal with tax because it is only a pilot project. Once a threshold is reached, we have to include a cap. If we are looking for a farmer to put in an acre of oak woodland, that farmer will say to us that he or she is milking 100 or 200 cows and is making €1,000 of profit per hectare, so if we can give that farmer €1,000 per hectare, it will be turned into oak woodland. That is what will happen. Maybe if we did not give €1,000 per hectare but, to address the Deputy's other question, we could give a payment from the retail opportunity, then the signal from the market will be much stronger than the signal from the BRIDE Project, which would mean that the BRIDE Project will be here today and gone tomorrow. The signal from the consumer will be there all the time. It might be small but every time a farmer gets a meat, cereal, beef or lamb cheque, with a Farming for Nature signal from consumers at the end to indicate that they are happy with how the farmer is producing food, that would make a significant difference to the way we farm. That signal is not there at the moment. We pay €200, €300, €400 or €500 per hectare, with a cap.

The Deputy's other issue relates to general best practice. It was initiated by the IFA. There are no payments as far as I am aware. It is just general best practice that the IFA promotes among the farming community. With regard to biogenic-----