asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food in view of the set aside proposals now under discussion at EC level, if he will consider making a case whereby thousands of acres of marginal farmland here would qualify for set aside grants, and that permission would be sought from the EC to convert this land to forestry production.

The set aside scheme recently adopted by the Council of Ministers will apply to arable land which, for a reference period to be determined, has been under crops which are the subject of a common market organisation. One of the options which will be available to participants in the scheme will be to devote the set aside lands to forestry.