Mr. Michael Biggins:

I refer to the land that is designated. We heard earlier that people in the hen harrier area and the Burren can get into the new GLAS. They were receiving a GLAS payment and a hen harrier or Burren payment. For some, their payment has reduced from €16,000 to a maximum of €10,500. There is no way that we are agreeing to anymore of the country being designated without funding being provided to compensate farmers whose land is designated. A designation on a farm is absolutely crippling. You are not allowed farm in the way you should be allowed to farm. If a person has a hold over you and if it is for the good of the environment, compensation must be given for it. There can be no more designations without proper negotiation and compensation. That is our view on the matter.

We are totally opposed to rewetting. Vast areas of the country are very productive. People think rewetting is done on bogs. It is not at all. It is on the finest of productive land in every county in the country. There are dairy farmers who are in the top the tier as regards production who are operating on drained peatland. Such land cannot be allowed to be rewet.