Mr. Pat O'Brien:

While the average payment for ACRES might be €6,000 there are costs involved. It does not all go to the farmer. Farmers are paid according to the actions they take and there are costs involved in these actions. It is not all income.

With regard to the uptake of the schemes, the amount drawn down has fallen by 53% since 2011. The older cohort is moving out of it and many people who are now eligible are not aware of it. Their backs are to the wall before they realise they need it. It is then based on the previous year's accounts and they may not be eligible according to those accounts. By the time the accounts show they do need it they may have moved out of the bracket. It has to be based on a real-time assessment and not an historical assessment.