The distorting effect of subsidies emerged at Cancun. We have made progress since the index assessment was carried out and changed our policies during the mid-term review of the CAP. This ensures the issue of subsidies has been disconnected from production. I consider this to be a key development and I warmly welcome it. We recently held a forum on agriculture where, for the first time, there was an exchange between farming organisations and NGOs. Prior to the talks in Cancun, I had made a suggestion that such an exchange should take place. I met a representative group of NGOs yesterday and members of it told me the dialogue is continuing. This is the first time NGOs are getting the opportunity to debate these issues with farming representatives. This is a tremendous development as, with the decoupling of production and subsidies, there will be common ground between those that represent the least developed countries and organisations that represent Irish farmers in disadvantaged areas. I am referring to the west, in particular, an area about which I know something. There is a common ground in the need to look after the less well off both at home and abroad and this provides good prospects for cohesion.