The secretary general of the Department of Agriculture is to be called before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture next week to answer questions on farm inspections.

The move comes after months of pressure from North Tipperary IFA, led by county chair Tim Cullinan, to find out why the Nenagh office has enforced the highest level of both inspections and penalties in the country.

The North Tipperary delegation outlined their concerns to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture in a closed session on Tuesday, where Cullinan said they “got a very good hearing”.

Listen to "Tim Cullinan speaks to the Irish Farmers Journal on inspections" on Spreaker.

Cullinan said the delegation had given the examples of inspectors going into farms where people had recently passed away.

“Also we discussed the changes that were made in the handbook that farmers get with their single farm payment, which farmers in north Tipperary believe contribute to the manner in which inspections are carried out.”

Now the Oireachtas Committee is to question Department secretary general Aidan O’Driscoll and the Appeals Office.

Aidan O'Driscoll

Gained a reputation

IFA president Joe Healy said there is a genuine fear factor for farmers on inspections and some inspectors had “gained a reputation for being draconian in their interpretation of the rules and unreasonable”.

Chair of the Oireachtas agriculture committee Pat Deering said the pressure is on the Department to deal with the issues and farmers deserve to hear answers to their questions.

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