Mr. Paul Savage:

There should not be because the definition of "farmer" allows for purely active farmers as well. It allows for the possibility that part-time farmers will be accommodated in that context. There is less of an issue in terms of continuing support for part-time farmers.

On the Chairman's question about the armchair farmer, so to speak, continuing to draw funding and getting favourable treatment or whether a farmer can keep leasing entitlements if not farming, that is an issue we are looking at in terms of how we address that. It is an ongoing bugbear within the system in terms of how people can continue to qualify for payments. It is an issue we will have to look more seriously at as part of the evolution of the proposals over the coming period and in terms of how we respond to that. We are engaging in a process of reflection on that in terms of where we go with that process over the coming period. We will see then how that can fit in with regard to how the proposals progress. We are aware of the issue. There are challenges in terms of trying to make sure that payments are going to active farmers.

As far as the experience of the current CAP process and period is concerned, as part of the negotiation of the proposals last time around we tried to bring about a situation where payments were going to active farmers. The pressure, and the preference, from the member states' point of view would be that that should continue. From our perspective, that will inform the approach to the process as we proceed.