Meetings premature, say ICMSA

THE series of regional information meetings on the single payment system, kicked off by the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc last Tuesday, are “grossly premature”, according to ICMSA president Pat O’Rourke.

Information on cross compliance is offered at the meetings, even though many aspects of cross compliance were not agreed, said Mr O’Rourke.

He said, “ICMSA has already informed the Department, in the clearest language possible, that we will not tolerate any rule that interferes with the legal rights of farmers to obtain the full single farm payment. We have already communicated to the Department the legal opinion we sought on the matter, which concluded that it is illegal for the Government to levy any penalties against a farmer’s single farm payment without proving negligence on his or her part.”