With months to go to a general election, Fianna Fáil will present its options on agriculture to voters at this week’s National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois.
As part of its commitment to “fair inspections and proportionate penalties”, the party proposes to change the rules so that farmers would receive advance notice of checks.
“Fianna Fáil believes all inspections as a rule, except where fraud is suspected, should be pre-announced,” the party’s agriculture and food policy paper states.
Furthermore, Fianna Fáil proposes that farmers who fail to comply with regulations should be “given a warning and an opportunity without penalty to address the deficiencies”.
“This includes the ‘yellow card’ approach proposed by farming organisations,” the paper adds.
The Charter of Rights agreed by farming organisations and the Department of Agriculture provides for notice and unannounced inspections, and the yellow card idea was rejected in favour of the continuation of warnings for minor infringements.
Fianna Fáil’s proposals would tip the balance further towards farmers’ demands than last June’s agreement.
“An increasing number of complex schemes are placing a disproportionate administrative requirement on Irish farmers,” Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on agriculture and food Éamon Ó Cuív TD wrote in the introduction to the policy document.
The party generally suggests that the present penalty regime should be “re-balanced in favour of the farmer except in cases of intentional fraud”. It stops short, however, of detailing how such intentional fraud would be detected.
Read more
Fianna Fáil calls for removal of 30-month beef restrictions
With months to go to a general election, Fianna Fáil will present its options on agriculture to voters at this week’s National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois.
As part of its commitment to “fair inspections and proportionate penalties”, the party proposes to change the rules so that farmers would receive advance notice of checks.
“Fianna Fáil believes all inspections as a rule, except where fraud is suspected, should be pre-announced,” the party’s agriculture and food policy paper states.
Furthermore, Fianna Fáil proposes that farmers who fail to comply with regulations should be “given a warning and an opportunity without penalty to address the deficiencies”.
“This includes the ‘yellow card’ approach proposed by farming organisations,” the paper adds.
The Charter of Rights agreed by farming organisations and the Department of Agriculture provides for notice and unannounced inspections, and the yellow card idea was rejected in favour of the continuation of warnings for minor infringements.
Fianna Fáil’s proposals would tip the balance further towards farmers’ demands than last June’s agreement.
“An increasing number of complex schemes are placing a disproportionate administrative requirement on Irish farmers,” Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on agriculture and food Éamon Ó Cuív TD wrote in the introduction to the policy document.
The party generally suggests that the present penalty regime should be “re-balanced in favour of the farmer except in cases of intentional fraud”. It stops short, however, of detailing how such intentional fraud would be detected.
Read more
Fianna Fáil calls for removal of 30-month beef restrictions
SHARING OPTIONS