Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is not outrageous and I will explain why.

On the initial question, this is not penalties for farmers. It is about reimbursement of money that was drawn down on land that was ineligible for payments. We are legally required to collect that money. Unfortunately, we have had, and we continue to have, many corrections in the mapping system which is the basis for farmers' claims of their payments. Let us be very clear about what happens if we do not do this. We know what will happen because the Commission has imposed fines on other countries that have not responded satisfactorily to this. The Commission calculates the level of overpayment, multiplies that figure by five and applies that disallowance or fine to Ireland. Much bigger and more politically influential countries in Europe have had massive fines imposed on them, such as the UK, France and Italy. I am seeking to avoid that eventuality because it will mean we would have to take that disallowance from the budget we have to spend on farms.

On the €96 million-----

See this speech in context