Full Irish subsidy data requested

IRELAND’S publication, last week, of details of EU rural development fund payments was described as a mockery of transparency by Farmsubsidy.org, which campaigns to make data on EU payments, and recipients of farm subsidies, available to European citizens.

According to Farmsubsidy.org, the Irish Department of Agriculture’s website is highly restrictive and only allows searches for specific recipients in specific locations.

“If you don’t already know the name you are looking for and the location, then you won’t get any data,” said a spokesperson. “In our view, the Irish government is in breach of its obligations under EU law.”

Farmsubsidy.org has requested a full version of the Irish data underlying what was published on the agriculture.gov.ie/cap_ben_default.jsp website last week.

In December, 2006, a new EU financial regulation required public disclosure of end-beneficiaries of EU funds. September 30 was the disclosure deadline for Rural Development Fund payments made in 2007 (January 1 to October 14). Disclosure for Single Farm Payments, etc is due by April, 2009.