I wish to raise the plight of the Burren programme in County Clare. This flagship farming and conservation scheme, which takes place on one of the most sensitive landscapes in the world, has been a win-win for farmers and the environment since its introduction. While the new agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, will lead to better outcomes for farmers and the environment, it will also lead to a reduction in income for Clare farmers and farmers in the Burren area and in the Slieve Aughty area, in east Clare. This week, a deputation of Clare farmers met with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, and the Minister of State, Senator Hackett. It is important there is a positive outcome to those discussions. I ask the Tánaiste to publicly support the campaign for the continuation of the Burren programme. Will he give a commitment that he will speak to the Minister about it?

I am happy to give a commitment that I will speak to the Minister about it. It came up in my meeting with the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, only in the past two weeks. I understand that the Minister and the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, met farmers from the Burren and local representatives on 22 November. I am told that the meeting was constructive and that the work of the Burren programme was acknowledged. Ministers will now reflect on those discussions while work will continue with all the ACRES co-operation project teams to deliver the scheme. It was always the intention to mainstream positive actions from programmes like the Burren programme into a large-scale agri-environment scheme in order to ensure a much larger environmental benefit and a greater number of farmers contributing to environmental goods such as biodiversity and water quality.