Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 464: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason his Department requested the gathering of sheep in an area (details supplied), under full supervision in view of the labour intensiveness of the process and the costs of the exercise, including the cost of the helicopters and so on. [40987/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Twelve Bens/Garraun Complex and Maumturk Mountains Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) contain valuable wildlife habitats that the State is obliged to protect under EU law. Sheep stocking in these areas is currently too high to be compatible with the preservation of these habitats and agreement has been reached with farmers and their representative groups to return stocking rates.

In order to achieve this, my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and I have implemented new grazing arrangements in these SACs. To determine the required level of destocking at commonage and farm level, it was necessary to count the number of sheep on the SACs. To this end, farmers brought their sheep down from the mountains and any sheep remaining on the hills were monitored by staff of the two Departments during two overflights by helicopter, which was deemed the most cost effective and practical means of counting sheep over a large geographical area.

The cost of hiring both helicopters was just under €14,450 including VAT. No other costs additional to normal staff time were incurred. Farmers in the areas concerned and their representatives were fully consulted and were notified in advance of the exercise.