Agriculture Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022

Tuesday, 26 April 2022

Questions (1926)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

1926. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he intends bringing in a rule that all professional agricultural planners who submit agricultural applications to the Department for environmental schemes such as REAP, GLAS and so on would have to be registered with the Department and have indemnity insurance against errors in applications in order that farmers would not be at a loss for the mistakes made by their agricultural planners and that a penalty point system would apply, similar to that applied by the NPWS in order that planners who continuously make errors in applications would be deregistered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20862/22]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

From 2023, all Agricultural Agents must be an accredited Farm Advisory System (FAS) Advisor before they can  submit applications/annual claims under the new Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and related schemes on behalf of an applicant. 

Evidence of Professional Indemnity Insurance will also be required prior to final approval as a FAS Advisor. Failure to provide evidence of Professional Indemnity Insurance will result in removal of FAS Advisor approval by my Department. 

Existing FAS Advisors and Agricultural Agents were notified of all these requirements on 14th April 2022. 

My Department delivered an Information Session to all FAS Advisors on CAP 2023-2027 in February 2022 in advance of Information sessions throughout the country with farmers in March 2022. There will be further FAS training with advisors in both June and September 2022 in preparation for the launch of 2023 schemes. In addition, FAS advisors must complete ongoing Continuous Professional Development (CPD) modules by December 2022 to remain on the FAS accredited list managed by my Department.

Where a FAS advisor wishes to submit Agri-Environment plans on behalf of an applicant, as was the case in GLAS, they must also attend separate and specific training on the new Agri-Environment scheme, the dates of which were advised to FAS Advisors on 14th  April 2022.