No-notice RFVs used to detect ineligibility

Satellite inspections and RFVs explain why a letter from the Department is the first clue many farmers get that they have land ineligibility problems.

In a case raised in the Dáil by John McGuinness, TD, it has been confir med that remote sensing (satellite inspection) revealed over-claims, which were followed by a rapid field visit (RFV).

Mr Mc Guinness asked Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney why a Co Carlow farmer’s land were inspected without notice in 2013. Mr Coveney said RFVs are not full farm inspections and involve an inspection of only parcels where over-claims were detected from satellite imagery, and where confirmation is required by a ground visit. Advance notice does not normally arise in inspections of this type.