Mr. Brian Rushe:

I have no problem with supporting young farmers. I identified it in terms of a key threat to food security and the vibrancy and survival of the sector. It is important that we support young farmers to get involved. My main issue is convergence and the effect it has on farms, in particular those farms which have a small overall payment but a large payment per hectare. I will give an example of a 20 ha part-time farmer in the midlands who 20 years ago was probably punching out cattle and applying extensification, doing everything he could. He had a high payment per ha or even stacked payments. Such farmers will be hit savagely by convergence.