Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister. The committee understands the challenges of reaching the 25% emissions reduction target. Originally, the understanding was that 18% was suggested as a target through the measures outlined in Ag Climatise and different roadmaps. The target is now 25%, which we know will be challenging. At least agriculture has a roadmap in place and something to work from. Not every sector has a roadmap set out for it. One of the important new measures is the new ACRES. I congratulate the Minister on providing something I asked for in the Dáil, namely, the inclusion in the measure of all farmers who have applied to it. That is a very welcome measure which highlights the interest in the farming sector in getting involved in agri-environment schemes. I would like to see the co-operation areas examined further because they would lead to big improvements from an environmental and biodiversity of view. I have outlined to the Minister previously that large parts of west Cork are excluded from the co-operation areas. These include Mizen Head and even the area around Mount Gabriel, which we saw in flames over the weekend. In co-operation areas, payments of €10,000 or more are available. This is an area of conservation. I know time is short so we may have some back and forth. Can we look again at the co-operation areas? Is there any chance we could look at the science to have peripheral areas of west Cork included in ACRES? That would have many benefits.