Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 1 December 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Organic Farming Scheme: Bord Bia

2:00 pm

Photo of Michael FitzmauriceMichael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to return to the issue of Bord Bia inspectors. Let us say a farmer has left something out at the back of a book. In such cases, the attitude seems to be that if there is one thing missing, then the whole lot falls. A biro is put through the whole lot and the farmer is out of action for six months. Why do we not introduce a system whereby we work with farmers? This is bread and butter for a lot of farmers. Why do we not introduce a system where, if something is done incorrectly, there is one mark against the farmer and it is only if the farmer accumulates four marks that he or she is gone for six months? We need to bring people with us. If we want farmers to continue to operate under the Bord Bia scheme and the various organic schemes, we must work with them rather than behaving like Hitler and making them afraid. We must make sure there is a good working relationship so that farmers are not afraid when they see a car pulling into their yard. Bord Bia should look at this issue carefully. Farmers should not be penalised straight away if they make a mistake, particularly if the mistake is minor. I have no problem with them being penalised for six months if they are guilty of three or four offences. In that context they would have had several warnings, but they should not be penalised for a first offence. Some of the people that Bord Bia deals with did not go to Trinity College. They started farming at a very young age and are doing their best.

We seem to be very harsh on them. We need to bring in a system where a farmer welcomes someone into the yard rather than being petrified of them.

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