Farmers are encouraged to take legal route for any payment disputes

More of the farmers who have been in dispute with the Department of Agriculture for years may be encouraged to go the legal route by a recent High Court ruling that the Department of Agriculture’s inspection of land for basic payment qualification was procedurally flawed.

The procedural flaws identified included the department not presenting the farmer a record of inspection for signature, nor an inspection report, as required by EU law.

The department was also found to have not documented the need for further inspections, nor addressed valid issues in the appeals process.