Eye in the sky costs at least one Irish farmer his SFP
Minister Brendan Smith has given details of at least one farmer found to have over-claimed by at least 20% for the 2009 Single Farm Payment (SFP) — the level at which the governing EU regulations require that no payment be made for the year in question.
The minister told the Dáil of a farm where ground inspection confirmed issues revealed by satellite surveillance, where a farmer claimed for 29.41 hectares, but inspection established an area of 16.53 hectares. In another case, ground inspection established there were 7.64 eligible hectares, compared to declared area of 8.82 hectares.
