Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 417: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will change the farm inspection guidelines as it is widely felt by farmers that this is too confining; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14046/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The position is that the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme and my Department's commitment in the Charter of Rights for farmers to ensure maximum integration of inspections across schemes and for cross-compliance has resulted in a drop in annual farm inspection levels from 18,000 under the coupled regime to less than 8,000 in 2006. I agree that the inspection requirements linked to cross-compliance are complex and I am committed to negotiating significant changes in the context of the simplification exercise which is currently underway in the Commission. I think it needs to be made clear however that the inspection checklist on cross-compliance is not a document for completion by the farmer but is an internal document for completion by officials of my Department carrying out inspections.

It is important also to bear in mind that the controls under the various direct payment schemes are set out in EU Regulations. Failure to ensure a satisfactory control environment leaves a member State open to serious financial penalty — a fact that cannot be lightly dismissed given the magnitude of annual payments of €1.9 billion to Irish farmers under the Single Payment Scheme, the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and REPS. Nonetheless, I believe that the cross-compliance inspection requirements are overly demanding on farmers. It is my clearly held view that some practical amendments can be secured without in any way undermining the objectives of cross-compliance or putting accountability in the disbursement of EU and national funds at risk.

As I have made clear already, I have raised my concerns about the Single Payment Scheme — particularly the inspection arrangements and the need for advance notice — with Commissioner Fischer Boel on a number of occasions. I have also discussed the problems with Minister Seehofer, the German President of the Agriculture Council and I am assured of his commitment to dealing with the issues over the next few months.

The Commission has finalised a review document on cross-compliance. The report will be formally presented to the Agriculture Ministers meeting on 16th April. In tandem with this, my Department is carrying out a full review of the inspection arrangements and checklists for the Single Payment Scheme with a view to simplification of the arrangements (including paperwork) where possible while, at the same time, ensuring compliance with the regulatory requirements. The review of the inspection report forms together with the outcome of the Commission's review of the cross-compliance arrangements generally, will be fully discussed with the farming organisations before the Single Payment Scheme inspections for 2007 get under way.