Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to debate the following urgent matter: the disgraceful and unjustifiable circumstance in which eight inspectors visited one part-time farmer to evaluate his eligibility in respect of 48 acres of farmland under cross-compliance regulations. There is an immediate need for the Minister for Agriculture and Food to outline the reasons for this farcical state of affairs and give a commitment to the Dáil that there will be no further such incidents. The Minister must provide that farmers will be given up to 14 days notice of on-farm inspections rather than subject to on-the-spot inspections which are both impractical, as many farmers work part time, and unwarranted, as inspections are based on farmland itself which cannot be tampered with no matter what the extent of the notification.

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