Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

I support Senator Michael Comiskey. I refer to the gorse fires in west Donegal and other areas earlier this year. The Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, visited the areas and conceded that if sheep had been on the hills, the grass would not have been as attractive for fires.

Traditionally, farmers who were asked to destock from the hills were paid €240 per hectare under REPS. They are now paid a fraction of that, €75, under the agri-environment options scheme. Can it be increased to €150? What attempts are being made in Europe to reach agreement on that? Are there ongoing discussions to seek that agreement? Will the agri-environment options scheme be reopened in 2012? Regrettably, the budget was cut a little this year, even though it was provided for in the 2011 budget. Some 10,000 places were agreed under the national recovery plan but we will not go over that ground.