A meeting held by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) in Co. Kerry this week heard a plea for authorities to show more compassion and understanding during farm inspections.
The call came from Kathleen Herlihy, Kerry IFA second delegate, who said that there can be “very short notice” for some inspections, which causes additional stress for farmers.
She said that farmers should be given a chance to correct issues identified on their holdings “within a reasonable amount of time”.
“Give them the yellow card, so to speak,” she said.
Herlihy was critical of the approach taken by some inspectors on farms, but acknowledged that there are many who are empathic to farmers.
One farmer, who is 49, told the meeting that he “can’t keep up with the level of paperwork” associated with farming anymore and called on the IFA to take a stronger stance on inspections.
In response, IFA deputy president Alice Doyle said that the farm organisation is “very aware” that inspections from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Bord Bia and local authority are “huge stressors” on farms.
She said that there have been a number of developments when it comes to inspections, including agreements signed with local authorities in a number of counties.
She said the new Farmers’ Charter, recently agreed by the department and farm organisations, means that inspectors will have to give proper notice in advance of an inspection and provide a written report before leaving the farm.
Doyle noted that the department is “very concerned” about the health and welfare of farmers and how people are treated by inspectors when they go out on farm.
Farm inspections
The IFA deputy president said that the farm organisation has currently halted the process on the introduction of the new Quality Assurance (QA) scheme by Bord Bia, “to try and get it back to a stage where it is less cumbersome on farmers”.
Doyle noted that a QA scheme is required to be in place as Ireland is a net exporter and markets demand quality assurance.
“That doesn’t mean that the inspection has to be so cumbersome that it’s putting people over the edge,” she said.
The IFA deputy president said that Bord Bia has agreed to run two pilots to see how the proposed new scheme works on farms.
The EU Commissioner-designate for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, said this week that he wants to simplify current rules for farmers, while continuing to contribute to environmental commitments.
“If Europe lessens the regulation we have to make sure that our government doesn’t enforce it any stronger than they should,” Doyle said.