The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has expressed serious concerns that the State can publish inspection records, application data and enforcement notices relating to individual farmers operating under nitrates derogation.

The strategic environmental assessment report on the nitrates action programme (NAP) proposes that the records of individual derogation farmers be made available to the public.

The report recommends that the Department of Agriculture "publishes the register of holdings that have been authorised to operate under the derogation, as well as associated documentation or these holdings (application data, inspection reports, enforcement action, etc) but excluding any commercial data".

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"Such a move would provide communities with greater information on the measures to protect the environment in these rural areas and increase confidence in the consent and enforcement processes," according to the report.

Criticised

This approach has been criticised by ICMSA president Pat McCormack, who said he failed to see how publication of these details was in the public interest.

“The suspicion had to be that publishing this type of technical information was designed to, in some sense, give ammo to the anti-dairy element who would them be in a position to object specifically to individual farmers,” McCormack said.

“I don’t see how publishing this type of information makes any sense. This information in most cases relates to a family farm, which is usually also the family home, and publishing details of people who are fully compliant with the regulations is unacceptable,” he added.

Over the top

“[The] ICMSA is clearly saying that the Government must not adopt this ‘over the top’ proposal. Any derogation is a specific matter between the individual farmer and the regulatory authority.

"Why does anyone else need to know the data submitted by the farmer and accepted by the State in that arrangement?” he asked.

McCormack said that a farmer operating under a derogation has typically invested hugely in their farm and operates at a very high technical level. He said that the targeting of derogation farmers in this way is totally unacceptable.

Retrograde step

“If the environmental challenges are to be successfully addressed and met, then the Government needs to work with farmers in the spirit of co-operation and mutual trust.

"This proposal to publish individual farmer details is a blatantly retrograde step that could cripple the very spirit of trust and co-operation required,” he warned.