Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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23. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there is an appeals mechanism in place for a person who believes he or she has been unfairly penalised following a farm inspection; if so, the exact detail the appeals process entails; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8578/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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If an applicant is dissatisfied with the outcome of eligibility or cross compliance inspections carried out on the holding, they may seek a review of the decision to the District Inspector for their region. This process and the relevant contact details will be outlined in the inspection findings notification letter (FN letter) issued to the applicant.

If an applicant wishes to seek a review of the results of a remote sensing inspection they can submit a review request to Remote Sensing Inspections Section. Again this detail will be provided to the applicant in the letter issued outlining the outcome of the inspection.

In the event that the applicant is dissatisfied with the outcome of any such review, the decision can be appealed to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office, within 3 months of the date of review decision letter.

If the applicant feels that their case has been dealt with unfairly by the Agriculture Appeals Office they can raise the matter with the Office of the Ombudsman, 18 Lower Leeson St., Dublin 2.