The decoupling of direct payments from production is a fundamental change to the Common Agricultural Policy and, not surprisingly, the Commission's proposal for full decoupling was the most contentious issue throughout the negotiations. In the end, the Council agreed to amend the proposal for full decoupling and to give member states a number of options which will allow them to implement decoupling in a manner best suited to their requirements. Full decoupling across the board remains as an option if member states wish to pursue that possibility.