Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

All the more time for me. It is safe to say that when all the information is gathered on the €28 million promised in 2007, it will be found that only €900,000 had been drawn down by May 2008. It is safe to say there will be a sizeable surplus. Given that the only other measure applicable to sheep farmers was contained in the farm improvement scheme, which has been closed prematurely, there is surely room for manoeuvre.

In many ways, the mixed grazing initiative has been unworkable for many sheep farmers, not least because of the mixed grazing requirement per se. Many affected farmers have no conduit of funding other than through sheep farming because of the nature of the landscape on which they work. To have mixed grazing, they would have to have bovines and provide wintering facilities, which they were not enabled to do, to comply with their REPS 4 obligations and meet the environmental concerns. I ask that there be a little lateral thinking. There is probably at least €27 million remaining of the €28 million.

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