Mr. Brian Rushe:

I might comment on the question about regulation before handing over to Mr. Kissane. I do not think any farmer would disagree that there is too much regulation in farming. To return to Mr. Punch’s point, there is a spotlight and magnifying glass on what farmers do every day regarding their inputs and everything they use, and we have to wonder whether other sectors of society and industry are under the same degree of pressure. Regulation introduced at farm level has a cost and that cost cannot be passed on by the farmer. It is absorbed into the system, which impacts on margins and hurts viability. If, in another part of the sector or supply chain, a cost is absorbed due to increased regulation, that actor has an opportunity to spread that cost across the supply chain, whether to the consumer or, in many cases, back to the farmer. There are times where, in the conversation about regulation and fertiliser being a dirty word, it is suggested farmers should do X, Y or Z and change to even more sustainable practices all the time. Farmers react to the market, to the consumer and to the regulatory environment in which they operate. At times, they have to introduce efficiencies, whether that relates to fertiliser or other input use, but many times those reactions are simply an attempt to stay alive in business, and farmers should not be afraid to say that. We absorb these regulatory challenges and additional costs, but we have no one to pass them on to.