Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 94: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the specific irregularities relating to cross-compliance measures that led to his Department being fined €715,000. [36229/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

There are no specific irregularities relating to cross compliance measures that led to my Department being fined by the European Commission. The position is that, following a preventative audit by the European Commission in 2005 examining the introduction of the Cross Compliance system in Ireland, the auditors were not satisfied that all farmers selected for an on-the-spot check under the cross-compliance rules were examined for all Statutory Management Requirements (SMRs) applicable to them.

For 2005, my Department had selected farmers for cross-compliance inspection on the basis of risk pertaining to each individual SMR. We thus selected 1% of farmers for inspection under each individual SMR while the Commission contended that we should have selected 1% of farmers and inspected them for compliance with each individual SMR applicable to them. The Commission argued that this system was required under the Regulations in force at that time.

The Commission originally proposed a disallowance of €1.769m. My Department maintained that the system of risk analysis adopted by Ireland was at least as effective as the system proposed by the Commission. Following detailed bilateral discussions and a meeting with the Conciliation Body the Commission reduced the disallowance to €0.715m. It should be noted that the EU regulations governing selection of the control sample for cross-compliance were amended in 2007 so as to allow a risk selection similar to that adopted by Ireland in 2005.