Fears farmers will leave EU income supports behind because of conditionality 

'If the cost of compliance for farmers exceeds the benefits, there’s a chance they’ll opt out' 

The Netherlands has already indicated that enhanced conditionality will compromise greening requirements in agriculture. File Picture. 

The danger of farmers opting out of the system of EU income support payments, if too many conditions are attached, has been raised.

Under the European Commission’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), farmers can receive basic payments for each hectare of their land, if they fulfil certain requirements.