Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

When we made the decision to decouple the single farm payment, the then Minister, Deputy Walsh, stated that it would allow farmers the freedom to farm. The reality is that there is more bureaucracy in farming now than ever before.

The current Minister stated that in practical terms, farmers would be given up to 48 hours notice, but the reality on the ground is that farmers undergo on-the-spot inspections without any notification. In light of the fact that the majority of penalties relate to paperwork and the majority of farmers are part-time, is it not irresponsible of the Department not to give farmers notice to ensure that they have the documentation in place?

Some 95% of all cross-compliance failures are due to problems with the computerised monitoring and movement system, CMMS. What can the Department do to rectify this? It is one matter for farmers to fail purely for agricultural reasons — I accept the conditions laid down in that respect — but it is another matter for them to fail due to the current level of bureaucracy. What will the Minister do to address this issue?

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