Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said that even though the quota for hedgerows was met, his main reason for discontinuing that was the availability of hedgerow plants and that he might review that in tranche three. However, he is now saying that because the low input permanent pasture has met the quota, he is obliged to change it. The reality is that the Minister has a choice in this. Many farmers do not have other options which might be available to them given the circumstances of their individual farms. Many of them depended on the low input permanent pasture option. Many were also depending on the hedgerow option and because the Minister has now without notice removed that, many of those farmers-----

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