Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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It is a fair hike. The guys with the tractors on the lowlands would think it was very hard work. The answer to the problem is to pay decently for GAEC in the single payment. I do not believe there will be a significant REP scheme the next time around because with greening in the single payment, it will be very hard to justify it. I know the way Europe deals with this.

Last Thursday morning, the departmental officials explained the update on the Common Agricultural Policy. I attended the IFA dinner on Thursday evening only to be told that the Irish Farmers' Journal was reporting on a coefficient for hill land, yet the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine officials did not see fit to tell Oireachtas Members about that proposal, even though they were meant to brief us on the updated CAP position. As the IFA seems to know about this coefficient, the representatives might let us in on the secret. It is becoming like the third secret of Fatima for Oireachtas Members. They might also let us know what this coefficient for hill land is about. I always thought that, when it came to the single payment, a hectare was a hectare. There seems to be a rumour, however, that some hectares are worth more than others. I would be very interested if the IFA could clarify that for us.

I apologise for taking so much time but this matter is very important. The IFA has been involved with this for a year already so its representatives know more about it than we do. Can they tell us the IFA's definition of an "active farmer"? Is it the European definition or something else? I will be blunt about it. To me, an active farmer is one who farms his land. What he does in his free time - be it hurling or football - is his, or her, business.

Perhaps the representatives from the IFA might clarify for me, once and for all, their definition of "active farmer". My understanding from Europe is that effectively it is anyone who farms land and who is not a corporation, an airport or something else. However, something appears to be happening in farming circles to which I am not privy because I keep hearing the phrase, "active farmer", with some great weight behind it, but no one tells me what it is.