Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 March 2015
359. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a new farmers' charter and action plan has been published; if so, if it has legal status; if not, when it will be published and when it will have legal status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11592/15]
View answerNegotiations on the new Farmers' Charter are at an advanced stage but there are a number of key areas that require further discussion. The Farmers' Charter Review Group, chaired by an Assistant Secretary from my Department and comprised of senior Department officials and representatives of the main farming organisations is endeavouring to achieve consensus on the outstanding issues and to do so in as timely a manner as possible. Progress has been somewhat delayed in recent weeks due mainly to the involvement of relevant officials in the current round of CAP Information meetings. These meetings will finish at the end of this week and I expect that negotiations will resume shortly thereafter.
The aim of the Review Group is to agree standards and delivery targets for the schemes and services provided by my Department to all its clients including farmers. These standards and targets form the basis of the Farmers' Charter. The relevant national and EU legislation are the legal instruments governing the various schemes and services. The Charter is effectively an agreement drawn up between the parties but has no force of law and accordingly has no legal status.
Once a new Farmers' Charter is finalised, a Charter Monitoring Committee will be established under an independent chair to monitor agreed targets and standards.
