Mr. Paul Savage:

I will respond to some of the issues that Deputy Fitzmaurice raised, such as front-loading to protect the family farm. This arises in the context of the proposals around convergence and the redistribution of payments within the CAP direct payments structure. In addition to the capping and convergence that are proposed, there is also a proposal in respect of redistribution of payments. That is still under discussion among member states and is yet to be agreed. We have asked for that provision to be voluntary but the main mechanism for front-loading would arise in the context of convergence and redistribution.

The Deputy asked if we would have a proper environmental scheme. We have to consider this in the context of the overall requirement imposed on us as far as this greater climate action ambition is concerned. I have mentioned the three layers of the green architecture. There will be greater environmental conditionality in Pillar 1, so for direct payments people will have to do more than was the case previously. There will also be the provision for farmers to participate voluntarily in an ecoscheme which would provide further environmental benefit under Pillar 1.

Under Pillar 2, there would be a scheme that would provide even further climate results. In the old structure, as it was up to now, there was greening, as there is under the current CAP, in Pillar 1 and additional measures under Pillar 2, such as the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, which is available to all farmers and in which at least 50,000 farmers participate. We have to consider what is the best combination, how we can achieve the maximum environmental benefit from CAP, and how we best resource it to get further benefit for Pillar 1, and then consider what the further environmental benefits might be from Pillar 2. The question is what the options are. We can return to that in the context of the public consultation and our needs assessment. Where there are large schemes such as GLAS, which are open to many farmers, it is more wide-ranging, broad brush strokes. It is also possible, however, under European innovation partnerships, EIPs, and other measures, to have more targeted, locally led schemes, which combine the various actors on the ground as we have done with the hen harrier and the freshwater pearl mussel.