Indeed - wasn't even going there!! Reading IAC minutes didn't increase positivity re. either Coillte or Bord na Móna or the overall joined-upness of the State.
February 5, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Indeed - wasn't even going there!! Reading IAC minutes didn't increase positivity re. either Coillte or Bord na Móna or the overall joined-upness of the State.
Latest Art. 17 report data:
February 5, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Latest Art. 17 report data:
My worry is on the more 'farmingy' needs of esp. 4010 & 4030 - c.350,000ha not in good condition. More of their needs will be ongoing as opposed to one-off, but the scale is huge compared to the current ACRES CP. More than 1 approach possible, but needs to be serious & at the scale of the problem
February 5, 2026 at 2:31 PM
My worry is on the more 'farmingy' needs of esp. 4010 & 4030 - c.350,000ha not in good condition. More of their needs will be ongoing as opposed to one-off, but the scale is huge compared to the current ACRES CP. More than 1 approach possible, but needs to be serious & at the scale of the problem
Looking at that positively, it's enough to need an infrastructure (and a corporate culture) of its own - half a dozen more staff in NPWS surely won't be enough. All quite doable though.
February 5, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Looking at that positively, it's enough to need an infrastructure (and a corporate culture) of its own - half a dozen more staff in NPWS surely won't be enough. All quite doable though.
Looking at Scotland's Peatland Action, which is not necessarily the same, but a good starting point for thinking, 20,000ha p.a. restoration is estimated to need c.750 staff to deliver (most of them contractors doing the job on the ground of course). But still a good quarter of those are admin etc.
February 5, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Looking at Scotland's Peatland Action, which is not necessarily the same, but a good starting point for thinking, 20,000ha p.a. restoration is estimated to need c.750 staff to deliver (most of them contractors doing the job on the ground of course). But still a good quarter of those are admin etc.
I have a feeling Govt would see its being outwith the CAP IT system as a strength rather than a weakness. But there would need to be interoperability to ensure no double funding (and at least of those payments would be State Aids needing to conform to certain rules).
February 5, 2026 at 2:24 PM
I have a feeling Govt would see its being outwith the CAP IT system as a strength rather than a weakness. But there would need to be interoperability to ensure no double funding (and at least of those payments would be State Aids needing to conform to certain rules).
But who would fund those additional tasks or, if DAFM is resistant to CP teams having additional roles, how would seamless actions on the ground, coherent signals to farmers etc etc be delivered? Who is thinking about these issues?
February 5, 2026 at 12:53 PM
But who would fund those additional tasks or, if DAFM is resistant to CP teams having additional roles, how would seamless actions on the ground, coherent signals to farmers etc etc be delivered? Who is thinking about these issues?
However, I share your scepticism that NPWS as a body has the experience and mentality necessary to deliver in real complementarity to the CAP. And it seems obvious also that, however imperfect at present, bodies such as the ACRES CP teams and ASSAP, are essential as an interface.
February 5, 2026 at 12:51 PM
However, I share your scepticism that NPWS as a body has the experience and mentality necessary to deliver in real complementarity to the CAP. And it seems obvious also that, however imperfect at present, bodies such as the ACRES CP teams and ASSAP, are essential as an interface.
I agree with those saying that denying the CAP's (present as well as future) role is just a lie, and politically unhelpful in the long term. Having said that, I struggle with seeing how the scale of CAP payments is up to the task, and whether making everything subject to CAP admin rules is helpful
February 5, 2026 at 12:50 PM
I agree with those saying that denying the CAP's (present as well as future) role is just a lie, and politically unhelpful in the long term. Having said that, I struggle with seeing how the scale of CAP payments is up to the task, and whether making everything subject to CAP admin rules is helpful
What would increasing the cap on ACRES CP area payments so everyone got rewarded for every improvement cost? These are basic questions but also Big Picture ones, since the scale of need is so huge. Can there be effective coherent delivery alongside CAP? Unavoidable & necessary nonetheless.
February 4, 2026 at 8:48 PM
What would increasing the cap on ACRES CP area payments so everyone got rewarded for every improvement cost? These are basic questions but also Big Picture ones, since the scale of need is so huge. Can there be effective coherent delivery alongside CAP? Unavoidable & necessary nonetheless.
A back of envelope calc suggests that the basic restoration capital costs of 200000ha of blanket bog could be EUR 0.7 billion. Heathlands not in good condition cover c. 350000ha. What's the investment needed to deliver better management there?
February 4, 2026 at 8:42 PM
A back of envelope calc suggests that the basic restoration capital costs of 200000ha of blanket bog could be EUR 0.7 billion. Heathlands not in good condition cover c. 350000ha. What's the investment needed to deliver better management there?
Wiki no less confirms that I'm not doolally! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treets
Treets - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 29, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Wiki no less confirms that I'm not doolally! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treets
Yes yes - they were all under the one overall Treets brand but in separate packs. They named the peanut ones something else and the toffee ones disappeared and the chocolate ones became minstrels.
January 29, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Yes yes - they were all under the one overall Treets brand but in separate packs. They named the peanut ones something else and the toffee ones disappeared and the chocolate ones became minstrels.
Yes, brown chocolate ones, blue toffee ones and yellow peanut ones. You're clearly just a young thing... 😉
January 29, 2026 at 10:37 AM
Yes, brown chocolate ones, blue toffee ones and yellow peanut ones. You're clearly just a young thing... 😉
What would be a strong positive statement were Keir Starmer or Jo Stevens to have said it is embarrassingly revealing and damaging when Eluned says it. But difficult to know what she *should* be doing from her perspective - there's no narrative that works for her, and neither does silence.
January 23, 2026 at 8:51 AM
What would be a strong positive statement were Keir Starmer or Jo Stevens to have said it is embarrassingly revealing and damaging when Eluned says it. But difficult to know what she *should* be doing from her perspective - there's no narrative that works for her, and neither does silence.
Disgraceful presentation of far-from-disgraceful facts. Seems clear from the details away from headlines that they were serious visits, many on behalf of govt. Is less than £700 a large cost per trip? Probably not. 'Cancer patient took 11 jaunts to hospital' would be crass and insulting....
December 30, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Disgraceful presentation of far-from-disgraceful facts. Seems clear from the details away from headlines that they were serious visits, many on behalf of govt. Is less than £700 a large cost per trip? Probably not. 'Cancer patient took 11 jaunts to hospital' would be crass and insulting....
@benlake.bsky.social a Elin Jones - sut mae hyn yn cymharu ag ymarfer da mewn gwledydd eraill? Da iawn Powys, ond anodd peidio cymharu â Point and Sandwick yn Lewis - yr elw I GYD yn mynd i'r gymuned. Mae gormod o'r drafodaeth am y twrbinau a'r peilonau a bron ddim am y budd o'r rhai sy YN addas.
December 17, 2025 at 1:36 PM
@benlake.bsky.social a Elin Jones - sut mae hyn yn cymharu ag ymarfer da mewn gwledydd eraill? Da iawn Powys, ond anodd peidio cymharu â Point and Sandwick yn Lewis - yr elw I GYD yn mynd i'r gymuned. Mae gormod o'r drafodaeth am y twrbinau a'r peilonau a bron ddim am y budd o'r rhai sy YN addas.
December 16, 2025 at 11:42 AM
(Are they even passing a fraction of that on to the pig and cattle farmers whose 'experiments' are so valuable?).
November 19, 2025 at 11:03 AM
(Are they even passing a fraction of that on to the pig and cattle farmers whose 'experiments' are so valuable?).
What would be an honest narrative then? 'I'm supporting approaches to land use which are so economically unattractive that my funding mechanism will pay them £65,555/ha/yr'? (£59 p.a. to 'adopt' 9 m2) Not sure Rad. WT are selling THAT as a model to the local farmers...
November 19, 2025 at 11:01 AM
What would be an honest narrative then? 'I'm supporting approaches to land use which are so economically unattractive that my funding mechanism will pay them £65,555/ha/yr'? (£59 p.a. to 'adopt' 9 m2) Not sure Rad. WT are selling THAT as a model to the local farmers...
If the state we're in doesn't care about the state we're in, and it's a voluntary union, I don't know what unionists think they're playing at. Just saying you'd be even worse off if you left might just wear thin in the end, but either way it just looks like further proof they don't care. Mad.
November 2, 2025 at 7:51 PM
If the state we're in doesn't care about the state we're in, and it's a voluntary union, I don't know what unionists think they're playing at. Just saying you'd be even worse off if you left might just wear thin in the end, but either way it just looks like further proof they don't care. Mad.