He has spelled out his own plan to counter the Commission proposal that Ireland switch from historically-based payments to flat rate, area-based payments.

According to Mr Coveney, the flat rate proposal would see the most productive farmers at present losing 60% of their payment on average, while farmers in less productive areas would gain an average of 85%.

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"The stocking rate required to qualify for a disadvantaged area payment was incredibly low, at around one sheep per hectare. We have doubled that now and asked farmers to have two sheep per hectare, which is less than one sheep per acre. This is still a very low stocking rate. We also said that instead of having to keep their stock for three months of the year, farmers would have to keep their stock for six months of the year. In other words, farmers would have to be farming," said Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney.

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A JUNIOR Minister has rejected the banning of live hare coursing, saying the greyhound sector creates jobs and is "part of our way of life" in Ireland.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Shane Mcentee, who is responsible for the sector, also said there is no danger to the hare and opponents should come and witness the sport for themselves.

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Environmentalists from Munster will travel to Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, to join protestors dealing with the most advanced fracking exploration effort in the country.

This week Tamboran Resources said with an investment of more than €6 billion, it can disrupt and harvest "tremendous" natural reserves in north Leitrim.

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A LEADING environmental charity has welcomed news that a carrier bag tax is to be introduced in Northern Ireland next year.

The initial 5p levy on single-use carrier bags, due to commence in April 2013, will then double to 10p in 2014 when a 10p levy on the more durable multi-use shopping bags will also be brought in, Environment Minister Alex Attwood has said.

All single-use bags - including plastic, paper and "plant based material" bags - will be liable for the new tax.

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The IFA also wants this offer to apply for the lifetime of the bog, with a minimum of 30 years and must not be restricted to the current 15-year deadline. The debate relates to 51 raised bogs in ecologically sensitive areas.

Landowners were also offered an annual delivery of 10 tonnes of turf to their homes. Mr Divilly said that, before any deal is offered, every option must be given to turf cutters. This would involve relocation for those who want to cut turf.

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Gas exploration company Tamboran believes there are sufficient reserves under Co Leitrim alone to supply Ireland's gas needs for up to 12 years. The company says development of the multibillion euro industry could create hundreds of jobs: INITIAL INDICATIONS from exploration drilling in the northwest show that the area could hold enough natural gas to supply Irish needs for 12 years and create a total of 3,000 jobs.

Tamboran Resources, which has exploration drilling licences on both sides of the Border in the northwest region, said yesterday that its initial studies have confirmed the existence of a "substantial natural gas field" in northern Leitrim.

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The archaeological stratigraphic report covers excavations between 1986 and 2010 on the island off the Kerry coast.

It was published yesterday on foot of a recommendation in a Unesco report of 2007 which was critical of aspects of State management of the seventh- century monastic site.

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It would be quite difficult to follow a bee on foot for more than a few metres. Up, down, a quick buzz into the hedgerow, out the other side – hmm, same bee? It's hard to be sure. A quick wriggle down inside a flower to suck a bit of nectar, then it's off again across the farmland.

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THERE ARE few legal constraints on international salvage companies seeking to raise valuable bullion from certain "commodity" wrecks off the Irish coastline, according to a leading maritime lawyer.

Law lecturer Dr Clive Symmons told The Irish Times Ireland's failure to ratify a Unesco treaty on underwater culture heritage and the fact many commodity wrecks are under 100 years old means the person or organisation attempting the salvage currently has no duty to notify the State of the salvage.

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I RECEIVED a press release from the Irish Wildlife Trust objecting to the wild boar being classified as an invasive species in Ireland.

My research threw up surprising results.

There seem to be quite a few of these animals roaming our countryside. There are reports of sightings in half a dozen different counties and some reports are of females with young. This indicates several separate breeding populations. By my estimate, about a dozen animals have been shot since 2009. Again, these occur in widely separated parts of the country. There is a concentration in Co Wicklow, but there are also confirmed shootings in Offaly and Tipperary.

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He addressed general concerns over proposed fracking, or hydraulic fracturing in Clare and the north-west. He said: "We import most of our energy and if it became possible to create thousands of jobs then that prospect would be worthy of consideration."

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The European Commission for Agriculture, Dacian Ciolos has been asked to refuse Ireland's request to require a doubling of the sheep stocking rates in Disadvantaged Area and to require that this stock be held for six months rather than the previous three months.

According to a FIE spokesman, the proposal undermines the Minister for Agriculture's assurance that the intensification of agricultural to meet ambitious 2020 production targets can be done sustainably.

'Basing payments on stocking rates rather than areas farmed is biased against the smaller less intensive farmer who protect the environment.'

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The European Commission said yesterday it believes the Republic and UK are not "fully in line" with those rules and as a result, is referring them to the European Court of Justice (ECG).

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Cork-based Organic Power is proposing to do this at Glinsk Mountain on the Mayo coast.

The idea is that excess electricity from wind farms could be used to pump the water to the reservoir, which could then be released as needed to drive the hydro-electric turbines to produce electricity that the company intends exporting to Britain.

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Groups opposed to the proposed Water Services (Amendment) Bill - which provides for a new inspection regime for septic tanks and a €50 charge for householders - will march from Daunt Square to Cork County Hall next Friday.

A march in Dublin is also being planned, according to Paul Walsh, chairman of the Knockavilla Anti-Septic Tank Charges Group. More than 300 people from across Cork attended the group's public meeting in Bandon last Wednesday.

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Mucking Flats are aptly named: a strip of muddy shore along the north bank of the Thames river as it oozes into the estuary and out to sea. Even in low January sun, with the tide out, there are only a smattering of redshank on the shiny silt near the seawall, black-headed gulls idling on mud, and a line of black-tailed godwits and curlew silhouetted in the shallow river waters beyond. Mucking flats are not pretty, but they are dramatic: shimmering with light and life – the plants, insects and reptiles which thrive in the rich soils in the salt marsh and abandoned industrial land attract birds in their thousands. It is an important migratory and breeding ground, protected by local and national laws as well as European directives. And when developers threatened the area with a new port and logistics park, ecologists were able to use EU rules to insist the wildlife remain protected.

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Planning permission has been granted for a new hotel development in Lisburn, County Antrim. The 100-bedroom hotel, with health suite and functions rooms, will be constructed on the Hillsborough Road. Environment Minister Alex Attwood said the hotel was expected to create up to 200 jobs. However, the Northern Ireland Environmental Agency is opposed to the development because of its perceived threat to local wildlife. It said there was a threat to bats, newts, birds and other wildlife in the fen and wet woodland area.

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Environment Minister Phil Hogan pledged to bring in legislation to tackle the issue by the end of next year.

The proposals include a major public consultation on climate policy to conclude by April, with heads of the main points of legislation published by the end of the year.

Friends of the Earth gave the move a broad welcome.

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