Cutting the Basic Payments of farmers who burn land illegally is leading to a reduction in forest and gorse fires but isn't the way forward, Coillte stated. Cutting the Basic Payments of farmers who burn land illegally is leading to a reduction in forest and gorse fires but isn't the way forward, Coillte stated. Ciaran Nugent of the Forest Service said that cutting Basic Payments in 2017 before Christmas led to a change in behaviour in the farming community's attitude to burning. However, Coillte Risk Manager Mick Power said that education rather than penalising farmers is the way forward. Instead of having the big stick to beat up people, an incentive for education would be better."

Source: Irish Independent March 31, 2019 05:03 UTC