Cork County Council has committed to giving farmers advance notice of preplanned or scheduled farm inspections on their holdings.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the local authority told Agriland that the move follows “representations from farming bodies and elected members”.
“The [Cork County Council] environment directorate has undertaken that in future to give advance notification of preplanned/scheduled farm inspections, provided contact information is available for the operator of the holding in question,” the spokesperson said.
The council said that advance notification will not be provided to farmers in instances where local authority staff are responding to pollution incidents.
Similarly, advance notice will not be given when council staff are undertaking follow up compliance inspections or assessing development applications under planning legislation.
Cork County Council undertook 932 farm inspections in 2023, with 1,085 inspections being planned for 2024.
Farm inspections
The issue of farm inspections and the stress which they can cause to farmers was also highlighted as part of the new Farmers’ Charter.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and farming organisations finally reached agreement on the new charter last month after long running negotiations.
The charter is a set of guidelines outlining how the department interacts with farmers on a number of issues, including scheme applications, payments, appeals and inspections.
The document outlines that inspections for a range of farm schemes, including the Basic Income Support Scheme (BISS), would move from being unannounced to generally involving up to 48 hours notice being given.
The department said that the inspection approach and reporting system used will be “standardised across all areas of the country to ensure consistency and fair treatment of all farmers”.
Following completion of the inspection the farmer or their agent will be provided with a preliminary inspection report which will include preliminary findings.