Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Question 25: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farm inspections that have been carried out to date in 2012; if he will provide a breakdown by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28659/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department, in the context of delivering the Direct Payments Schemes is required to carry out annual inspections covering land eligibility and cross compliance to ensure compliance with EU regulatory requirements.

Eligibility checks must be carried out on 5% of applicants. These checks are carried out to verify that the actual area claimed in the application form corresponds to the area farmed by the farmer and to ensure that any ineligible land/features are deducted. Up to two-thirds of these inspections are carried out without a farm visit as the information is verified using the technique of remote sensing via satellite.

The rate of inspections for cross-compliance is 1% of applicants to whom the Statutory Management Requirements (SMRs) and Good Agricultural Condition (GAEC) apply. However 3% of farmers must be inspected under the bovine identification and registration requirements while 3% of sheep/goat farmers must be inspected covering 5% of the flock.

In 2010, in an effort to minimise duplication of farm inspections between the two Departments, my Department agreed to carry out some 1,600 nitrates inspections under the GAP regulations on behalf of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. This arrangement was retained in 2011 and will apply also in 2012.

I have set out in tabular form, data on the number of inspections conducted to date under the 2012 schemes.

In addition my Department, carries out the inspections outlined below under the Organic Farming Scheme and the Agri Environment Schemes.