Mr. John Martin:

To come back in on that point, the CAP's original intention was to feed Europe. I suppose the challenges have changed. During the last iteration of reform, some of the major challenges within rural development were to prevent further biodiversity decline, to help society adapt to climate change and to improve water quality. These are all things towards which agriculture contributes. I would not say agricultural production in the whole of Ireland, North and South, is extensive but it depends on with where it is compared. If it is compared with some of the lowland areas of Germany, France and other areas like that, it is a lot more extensive. However, that is not to say it is without environmental impact.

I agree with what the Deputy said, the CAP could do more. It needs to go a lot further before we can say that it is a sustainable agricultural policy. In Northern Ireland the CAP is worth £350 million a year in single farm payments, as opposed to £100 million over five years for agrienvironment type payments. I know the budget for agri-environment payments is a lot greater in the South. We feel that meeting those challenges of biodiversity decline, helping society adapt to climate change and helping to improve water quality are all things that will benefit the public and the industry.

The Deputy rightly said we do not want to reach the stage where we have to import more food from less sustainable sources. That will be one of the major challenges with regard to some of the conditions that the UK Government may or may not put on trade. We will not get into trade today because I am in no way an expert in that area but it is clear that if we are able to support our own farmers in a way that helps them to be as sustainable as possible, we will not end up having to externalise environmental costs to other countries and we will help farmers and the environment locally.