Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. There is no doubt that the ACRES scheme has huge benefits; nobody is disputing that. We are talking about a few hundred farmers who will be negatively impacted. In the overall scale of the financial commitment under ACRES, it is very small. There is a sense of morale, support, recognition and appreciation but ultimately, in these very difficult times, it is down to pounds, shillings and pence. I welcome the Minister's commitment to engaging with the farmers and their representatives this week. I am delighted he has confirmed that he will do that. I believe this can be successfully resolved through negotiation. I welcome the commitment from the Minister that he is going to directly engage with the farmers and the Burren Life programme this week to achieve a resolution. I thank him for coming in and addressing this directly.