From January 2005 the link between EU subsidy payments and production will be broken. Farmers will receive annual payments based on the amount of subsidies claimed in the 2000 to 2002 reference period. Consideration should be given to people who had outbreaks of TB or brucellosis during that period and to those who were affected by a catastrophe outside their control. To qualify for his or her full payments, which will be payable in December of each year, the farmer must manage the same area as that farmed during the reference years. Perhaps the Minister could clarify if that must be exactly the same area or if it can be a reduced area. If a group wants to use some land for recreational purposes, a farmer should be allowed to let it without affecting his or her payments. That should be considered, particularly if we want to become more environmentally friendly. Given that payments depend on whether a farmer collected payments during the reference years, some farmers will lose out heavily and some will be short-changed by such a blanket agreement.