Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 December 2018
172. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if farm inspections were carried out on the farm of a person (details supplied) on 2 June and 16 November 2017 as part of an appeal process; the protocol that applies to such inspections; if there is an obligation on the part of his Department to notify the farmer prior to the inspection under the farmers’ charter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52593/18]
View answerOfficials in my Department are required to carry out certain on-farm inspections to ensure compliance with EU Regulations governing farm payments under the Common Agricultural Policy. Land eligibility inspections are generally announced and the protocol on notification in the Farmers’ Charter of Rights would apply. However, in certain circumstances inspection of individual land parcel(s) may be carried out as rapid field visits and this type of inspection is usually unannounced. In particular, inspections of commonage parcels associated with an application selected for inspection are normally inspected by means of rapid field visits and, as such, prior notification would generally not apply.
The 2017 Basic Payment and Area of Natural Constraints Schemes application of the person named was selected for a land eligibility inspection. Inspections of the commonage parcels associated with this application were carried out as rapid field visits on 31 May, 6 June and 8 June, 2017.
A further inspection of the non-commonage parcels in the application was carried out on 5th September 2017. For this inspection, the person named was notified in advance in accordance with the protocol the Farmers' Charter of Rights. At the end of the inspection the person named was informed in writing of the inspection findings, including findings on the previously inspected commonage parcels. The person named indicated that they would like a second opinion in relation to the lands being deemed ineligible. A further follow-up inspection was carried out on 16th November by two inspecting officers who were not involved in the initial inspection on the ground.
