Mr. Brendan Gleeson:

It is in its infancy. Let us think about this from the point of view of an individual. It is a permanent land use change and a 20-year investment. After 30 years, people will get a tax-free income from harvesting, having got 20 years of a premium. It is a long-term investment. I am not sure we should judge the effectiveness of a new programme a few months in. It would be great to be able to say we will plant 8,000 ha this year. We will not, but this is voluntary land use for people. I think I said last time that there will be ways to make this more attractive to people that nobody would find palatable. We could decide that people will not have choices and this is the only show in town. We will not do that. This is voluntary land use. Over time, we have to persuade people that it is an attractive source of income which is entirely compatible with the business of livestock farming. It is not farming or forestry. This can be a remunerative part of people's farm enterprise. That message will take time. It is a cultural change that people will have to get used to.

I am not disheartened, because we have a great programme. I would prefer if the numbers were higher. If we keep talking it down, it will be self-fulfilling. I just cannot see that we will diminish the environmental requirements in a few months because of some kind of pressure.