Mr. Pat Murphy:

There is another issue regarding the design of our agri-environmental schemes. We have had the rural environment protection scheme and the agri-environment option scheme, AEOS, which attempted to move to a system that did not require any professional help. From our perspective, professional help was required and Teagasc advisers have been needed by practically every farmer. There is an issue, with a desire to take the payment from Europe and transfer as much as possible directly to farmers. I associate with that goal.

There is another dynamic that will emerge, the requirement for value-for-money, with outcomes seen to be delivered by the money. If we are going to deliver those outcomes, we must ensure that the processes and schemes put in place have the support of professionals where required. There must be a system whereby families can take advantage of the environmentalists and agriculturalists for support. That should be effectively built in. Resources within Teagasc will be limited and it is more likely that private consultants will provide the service in future. I am not promoting a self-interest and it is not that much of an issue with regard to our workload. It is very important.