We have seen the growth in popularity of wild bird cover since GLAS got going. As confirmed by the Irish Farmers Journal a number of weeks ago, it is now the fifth-largest crop in the country.

To get the €960/ha payment, you take out grass and put in things such as oats or linseed. Handy out.

However, I’ve had reports that some of the crops are awash with rats. One farmer from the northwest told me that such is the scale of the infestation, “some of the rats even have Cork accents”.