Ms Sharon Murphy:

The regulation always provided for what is called a small farmer scheme for farmers across Europe. The limit was 5 ha, and anybody with 5 ha or less already fell into the simplified system. The Commission was looking at exemptions and increasing the amount of land concerned but not increasing it by too much. It is related to the original assessment, which would have been done at the start of the CAP strategic plan. That was for 5 ha at that time.