OVER the past decade farmers' subsidy payments have been linked to historic production levels.
This tended to favour farmers in lowland areas, some of who receive up to £150,000 a year from the European Union.
Under its so-called reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, the EU wants to move to a system that pays farmers on the amount of land they have rather than what they produce. Had the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Michelle O'Neill not came up with her own measures, Brussels would have imposed its own model, which would have seen significant reductions in many farmers' incomes as early as next year.
The minister's advocacy of what is known as the single region model received support among mainly nationalist upland farmers but brought her into conflict with the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) and unionist politicians, both of who tend to support the interests of bigger farmers.
Under the compromise deal struck in the executive, there will be a seven-year transition period to a regional flat rate that should give farmers time to adjust.
Not everybody will be happy, but given that changes in agricultural support are inevitable the deal agreed seems to be the most sensible option.