The IFA is to launch a new charter to ensure that farmers’ data is protected.

A draft of the charter was presented to a recent meeting of the IFA’s national council, where there was widespread support for the initiative.

IFA deputy president Brian Rushe said the charter was needed to protect farmers’ interests.

Rushe said farmers were increasingly uneasy that their personal and business data is being shared, and potentially mined, by third parties because there is so much background information required for EU payment applications and schemes.

“Farmers are constantly being asked to tick the terms and conditions boxes for various schemes but they rarely read the fine print or know what they’re signing up to,” Rushe maintained.

He said the charter and an associated Irish agricultural data charter pledge aimed to address farmer concerns regarding the sharing of their information.

The IFA has urged State institutions and other agriculture-related bodies to sign up to the pledge, which is a public commitment to abide by the principles contained in the charter regarding the sharing of farmers’ personal and business information.

IFA deputy president Brian Rushe.

The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and Animal Health Ireland (AHI) have already agreed to sign up to the pledge, according to Rushe. The IFA is awaiting replies from the Department of Agriculture, Teagasc and Bord Bia.

Fears

He expressed concern that many farmers were reluctant to partake in schemes and initiatives that would ultimately be beneficial to their businesses due to fears regarding the amount of background infor-mation being sought, and subsequent access to this data.

“The charter and pledge give farmers comfort and confidence that any State body or private business that are signed up to it are in agreement with its principles regarding the sharing of data,” Rushe said.

The charter has also been described as a code of conduct for handling farmers’ personal and business data.