The report on the Review of the Agriculture Appeals Act 2001 and operations of the Agriculture Appeals Office has been published by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.
The review was given the go-ahead by Minister Creed in September of last year.
Commenting on the announcement today, the minister said: “The Programme for Partnership Government provided for a review of the Agriculture Appeals Act 2001, to ensure the independence and efficiency of the office in dealing with appeals from farmers.
“In fulfilment of this undertaking, I established a review committee to carry out the review and furnish its report, to include recommendations as regards the legislation governing and the future operation of the Agriculture Appeals Office.
I have received the committee’s report and its recommendations are currently under consideration by my department, particularly with regard to legislative changes that may be required to give effect to them.
The decision to publish the report was taken in order for it to be taken into consideration by the relevant stakeholders, including the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Minister Creed added.
The report is available to view on the department’s website.
- Niamh O’Donoghue, former secretary general at the Department of Social Protection (chair);
- Padraig Gibbons, farmer, former chairman of Connacht Gold and former president of the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS);
- Paud Evans, former principal officer at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
A total of 20 written submissions were received by the committee during the consultation process.