Department ‘must release detailed farm inspection and penalty figures’
In July, IFA members hosted a demonstration outside the Department of Agriculture offices in Portlaoise against a six-fold increase in farm inspection fines from €780,000 in 2009 to €4.7m in 2012. Also in July, farmers demanded that the department support the Charter of Farmers’ Rights.
IFA deputy president Eddie Downey said farmers at the Portlaoise charter meeting concluded that farmers were entitled to the information on penalties.
Mr Malone confirmed that the IFA had looked for the figures as far back as last November and said the information should have been openly provided by the department.
Mr Downey welcomed the charter chairman’s intervention in resisting the department’s refusal to provide full and detailed figures on the level of penalties and financial sanctions imposed on farmers as a result of inspections for cross compliance and land eligibility.
Mr Downey said: “It is clear from the data extracted out of the department over recent weeks that the level of penalties imposed on farmers over the last number of years across the major cross compliance and land eligibility issues have increased dramatically. There is no logical explanation from the department for this increase, other than they are under pressure from Brussels auditors.”
The department’s reports for 2012 showed fines imposed for that year related to breaches in nitrates and Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) rules.
Nitrates breaches related to regulations in areas such as livestock collection, organic fertilisers, and silage effluent. The rules’ breaches included land damaged by machinery, proliferation of noxious weeds, and severe poaching leading to erosion.
A department spokes-person said that to protect the integrity of the system, it is necessary to ensure that payments are directed to farmers claiming eligible land. Under EU regulations, the reclaiming of money on ineligible land is ongoing.
Mr Downey said most department inspectors were reasonable and understood the practical difficulties at farm level. However, the audit pressure on inspectors from the top down had pitched the inspection service against farmers, creating unnecessary and avoidable conflict.
“Everybody, including the department, accepts that farmers have improved their compliance across important areas like cattle identification and registration, where the use of IT and computers has delivered major advances,” said Mr Downey. “In addition, farmers have invested up to €3bn in infrastructural investment in housing and pollution control facilities. However, nobody can explain why the level of inspection penalties continues to rise year after year.”
The IFA deputy president said the inspection system was going in the wrong direction and was now audit driven. He again called on the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney to take political responsibility for this important area and undertake a total overhaul of the inspection regime operated by his department.
The IFA deputy president said there was major fear and stress among farmers over the risk of being selected for a department inspection and this was very wrong and unacceptable.
Meanwhile, at the meeting in Portlaoise, Mr Downey said the department has confirmed that the EU Commission has now formally proposed a 50% advance payment of the 2013 Single Farm Payment from Oct 16. The department also confirmed to the IFA that they are in a position to pay out 100% of Disadvantaged Area Payments from Sept 23 and the 50% SFP advance from Oct 16.
He said the recent issuing of up to 10,000 letters to farmers demanding payment clawback has caused a lot of confusion and stress on farm families. He said the department provided no details on how these clawbacks were calculated.
The department has confirmed it will send out maps outlining how the clawback adjustments were calculated. In addition, an appeals system is being set up. IFA received assurances that where a farmer appeals, 2013 payments will not be held up.
