For the vast majority of farmers in NI, direct payments received in the autumn of each year are a vital part of their overall income.

However, in the last couple of years there has been growing discontent about the direction of travel of new support payments, with so much of the policy and research focus now on environmental issues rather than on productive farming. With that has come proposals to attach various conditions to payments, whether it is participation in the soil nutrient health scheme, carbon benchmarking or compliance with a new suite of farm sustainability standards.

A small number of farmers, mainly in the dairy sector, seem to have decided they would be better off out of the system and taken the radical action to sell their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) entitlements, ultimately foregoing all future payments across various schemes.

While the frustrations are understandable, it looks like the wrong approach. On an intensive dairy farm, the BPS might make up a relatively small proportion of income, but it is still very useful in a difficult year.

These farmers are also not free to operate as they like. All the main rules that apply to BPS claimants are written into law. In addition, farmers still have to maintain farm quality assured status to supply milk to the main processors in NI, while also getting involved in various industry-led sustainability initiatives.

All that said, it is ultimately the case that the easiest way for DAERA to ensure farmers are compliant with rules is to threaten penalties to farm payments rather than take decisive action against those who break the law.

Taking people to court is costly and doing the necessary inspection work to underpin a court case is not something too many want to do.

In addition, DAERA has to justify how it spends public money, the whole scenario is a reminder to policymakers that if they attach too many conditions to future payments, or divert a lot of money to agri-environment schemes, there is a danger more farmers decide to walk away. That would be very bad for everyone.