Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I agree with Mr. Gleeson, especially in respect of the environmental schemes. If people are in on something and they have it there, the computer system is all we hear about.

The forestry scheme from 2020 up to now is problematic for the Department, to put it mildly. Even from 2016 to now was problematic for the Department. In fairness to this committee and the Chairman, we have spent a good while trying to iron out problems and certain things were ironed out. However, there is a distaste in the farming community for forestry now because of all of the problems farmers experienced. When will the Department realise that even though we have reached 1,900 ha so far, the uptake is not there? There is no point in saying otherwise. When is the Department going to accept that we are not going to achieve the figures to which it refers? It is a fantasy world. If every farmer with up to 100 acres or up to 200 acres planted a shelter belts, it would be an option rather than 1 ha in one place. They could plant alongside ditches, for instance, and that would tick the box for the Department but would not stop the people farming. When farmers are mowing a field, they do not go into the corner but go around in a semi-circle. Many people would take that up. When is the Department going to try to look outside the box? The box it is currently looking at is closed? It is not going to happen.

On fishing, Mr. Gleeson used the word "sustainable". We have less fishing going on now than we had ten or 20 years ago. I would not consider decommissioning boats and cutting them up to be a good idea going forward.