My first question is as follows: what will the additional cost of these measures be in animal premiums, over a period of four to five years?

Yesterday the farming press was already telling us that land and animal premiums were to remain the basis of future EU agricultural policy.

Apart from reducing beef production, I am also in favour of safeguarding a minimum wage for small holdings and increasing animal premiums.

According to provisional calculations, it will cost EUR 157 million this year and as much as EUR 1.75 billion over the years to come, and we are talking in terms of animal premiums.

The measure to restrict animal premiums per cattle farm to a maximum of 90 animals, provided that the number of livestock units is reduced from 2 to 1.8 per hectare, will cut down production in due course.

We consider it to be of the utmost importance that when money is being distributed - animal premiums and suchlike - the control system is spick and span and there is very little wrong with it.

From my own experience I happen to know that the European Union makes careful inspections at my farm and that it freezes the animal premiums or reduces the aid per hectare in the event of even slight infringements.