Mr. Miche?l McDonnell:

I thank Deputy Bruton for the question. He asked how we can bridge the gap so early movers will be rewarded. With the EIPs, we had a very successful model of finding data, taking results from them and bringing them forward into the mainstream. We now have eight co-operation teams within that sector that have been borne out as part of the new ACRES. Those are the areas in that regard. We also have the new ACRES, which is results-based.

When the farmer actually sees the results and the positives of that, he is going to build on his whole idea of, "What makes money for me?", and the farmer who is doing more actually benefits more. The whole idea of the increase in organic farmers is quite positive, and then there is what has been said about early movers being rewarded potentially in the next CAP but it might not be as good for some. Early movers being rewarded is great, but we need to keep rewarding them for being early movers. The positive thing we have to do here is the engagement with the stakeholder.

However, when we have those results-based schemes and those EIPs, it takes time for that data to come down, and then we reassess. If I have a problem with my car, I fix it and I go again. We cannot just throw the baby out with the bathwater and say "we have a huge climate change problem and everything has to be rewetted". We must take incremental steps - we measure, we assess, we go again. It is very important that we do that, and not have a carte blancheapproach, saying that this all needs to be done. It is about incremental steps, and we have to build on that, but it is vital that we bring the actual farmers with us. We are positive toward building that initiative of making it better. In the new ACRES scheme, we have space for nature. Can that be increased? We are looking at the positives around that and there are initiatives that we can build on.