The Charter of Farmer Rights was agreed last week. Peter Young goes into detail on pages 18 and 19. It is an important document not only with regard to establishing a clear protocol for farm inspections but also in establishing a timeline for payments. Last year, Irish farmers were fined a total of €4.5m due to non-compliance issues. This money flowed back to Europe with zero benefit to the national economy. The focus of the Department of Agriculture should be on reducing this figure through education and better communication. A reduction must not be interpreted by Europe as merely a failure in auditing procedures.