Vol. 539 No. 1
176 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the course of action which is open to him or to others if evidence is found that REP scheme payments are continuing to be made, if a REP scheme agreement with the Department is being transgressed by a landowner; and the level of inspection which is planned to ensure that such undetected transgressions are minimised and ultimately eliminated. [18974/01]
Participants in REPS who are found to be in breach of their undertakings are subject to a range of penalties which are provided for in the scheme. These penalties range from 10% to 100% of an annual payment, and my Department reserves the right to terminate participation if a major breach of the scheme conditions has occurred. My Department normally detects breaches of REPS undertakings in the course of its compliance inspections. Participants are selected for inspection using risk analysis criteria. Each year, 25% are selected for an on-farm inspection. A further 5% are selected each year for a plan check – a complete scrutiny of their agri-environmental plan – together with an on-farm inspection.
When my Department receives information from third parties about alleged breaches of the scheme these are followed up. Local knowledge also plays an important part in enabling my Department to identify applicants who are not complying with their undertakings.
