Farmers were fined a total of €445,740 following land eligibility inspections in 2020, figures from the Department of Agriculture show.

Over claims amounted to €325,196 of this figure in that same year.

Some 7,939 land eligibility inspections were carried out on Irish farms in 2020, 1,151 of which incurred a payment reduction.

When asked by the Irish Farmers Journal the main reasons why farmers incurred a payment reduction or penalty, the Department said the data was “not available”.

“Reduction/penalty may be applied following identification of for example, dual claims, overlapping claims, ineligible claims, and areas with no agricultural activity,” a spokesperson from the department said.

Satellite inspections

The Department carries out far more satellite inspections, with 6,666 satellite inspections carried out in 2020 compared to 1,273 ground inspections that year.

For 2022, at least 5% of farmers will be selected for land eligibility inspection under all schemes covered by the 2022 Basic Payment Scheme application.

The Department also said that data in respect of 2021 land eligibility inspections is not available, adding that the outcome of 2021 inspections continue to be finalised.