Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Independent)
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119. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a charter for farm inspections was introduced; if he proposes any amendments to this; and if so, when. [18847/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There is no specific charter for farm inspections as farms inspections come under the umbrella of the Farmers’ Charter. The Farmers’ Charter is comprised of agreed standards and delivery targets for the schemes and services, including on-farm inspections, provided by my Department to all its clients including farmers. The relevant EU Regulations are the legal instruments governing farm inspections. The Charter is effectively an agreement drawn up between my Department and the main farming organizations, which must fully respect and operate within these legal requirements.

EU legislation governing the Direct Payment Schemes and Rural Development measures requires my Department to carry out on-the-spot checks covering such issues as eligibility under the Scheme, including the eligibility of the land being declared, and compliance with Cross Compliance requirements, as set down in EU legislation, and the standards for Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC). The legislation sets down the minimum numbers and types of inspections that must take place annually. The legislation also prescribes, for example, the process for selecting cases for inspection, rules on the advance notification of inspections and the reductions/penalties to be applied in the event of non-compliances with scheme requirements being determined at inspections. In undertaking these inspections my Department must ensure that the legislative requirements are being met in full, to ensure that applicants under the schemes are being treated in a fair and equitable manner and that the EU funding being provided for the schemes is protected.

The current Farmers’ Charter was introduced in 2009. Negotiations on a new Farmers’ Charter are ongoing at present. My Department is endeavouring to achieve consensus with representatives of the main farmer representative organisations on some outstanding issues and will immediately move to publish the new Farmers’ Charter upon the achievement of consensus.