Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We share the same objectives. What we have to guard against are the unintended consequences. Yes, at a high level people will talk about "armchair farmers", those who gather income under the Common Agricultural Policy and who may not be considered active by other farmers. I am anxious to ensure the category about whom the Deputy spoke, those with small and marginal holdings from which because of the constraints of them they are not able to make an income, will continue to be supported. They are both active and genuine.

There is another debate taking place at a different level about those who receive extraordinarily high payments and whether they constitute genuine or active farmers. There are proposals related to capping, which I think is good in principle. There are about 1,000 farmers in the country who receive a payment of more than €60,000. When that money is redistributed between 130,000 farmers, the gain is minimal. Nonetheless, the Deputy should be reassured that we share the same ambition for those farmers who are both active and genuine.

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