New maps to spot ineligible hectares

Improved eye-in-the-sky surveillance has enabled the Department of Agriculture to better detect where ineligible hectares are claimed by single farm payment applicants.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has revealed that a new system was introduced in July called Bing Maps, which replaces images taken by aircraft flying at high levels.

Previously, aircraft maps were relatively fuzzy. The mapping is now done with satellite technology, which produces crystal-clear imagery of the land, showing borders, ditches, forestry and scrub at a level of detail that was not possible before.