Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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We have two issues. One is the replanting obligation and making sure it happens. The other is to try to get our 8,000 ha harvested, which is a significant issue. Obviously, we have to start somewhere with the programme. Nobody believes that we are going to get 8,000 ha in year 1. This is a graph of some nature. I am not sure if it is going to be a flat graph and I am not even sure it is going to be rising. We are going to be working towards a target that we ensure we can reach over the lifetime of the agreement.

When we went to Europe last September, it became very obvious that forestry is not a competency of Europe. We were told it is a strategy. However, they were very strict on us in that environmental impact is their competency. The officials to whom we spoke were very clear that they have no input regarding our national forestry strategy but that the environmental impacts are absolutely key to it. The four of us at that meeting were fearful of what the Commission's view on environmental impacts was going to mean for agriculture, forestry and fishing. It seemed a little bit out of control. It seemed to be that our targets are our targets but environmental impact is the first thing in mind. Can Mr. Gleeson give an insight into how we can look at how the Commission looks at these issues? As one of those four Members of the Oireachtas - I am not speaking for all four of us - I was at a loss, basically, that there was no logic brought into this one. They were quite happy, in many ways, for us to not reach our actual forestry targets and other issues regarding our agriculture industry because it was environment first, and that was it.