Ms Sinéad McPhillips:

I thank the Senator. There is certainly an emphasis on smaller farmers and reducing their administrative burden. I do not think it is fair to say that the whole thing is focused on farmers with a very small number of acres. This simplification follows from a significant simplification - I apologise for the repeated use of that word - package last year. These are technical tweaks. They allow member states some additional options within their CSPs. One of the main points is that they do not have any additional budget attached. Member states are free to choose to do some of these optional extras but it will involve cutting money elsewhere.