The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed to Agriland that almost 1,000 farmers were issued with penalties for tagging and registration breaches in 2022.
Last year, department officials carried out 5,186 cross compliance inspections on farms around the country, which included identification and registration (IDR) of animals and full cross compliance.
A spokesperson for the DAFM said that there were 987 cases of penalties applied to farmers for IDR breaches in 2022.
The vast majority of the penalties issued last year, 764, related to IDR of cattle.
218 penalties were issued in respect of IDR breaches for sheep and goats, while 5 pig herds were issued with penalties.
“The payment of almost €1.8 billion to farmers is conditional on their checks being carried out correctly,” the spokesperson told Agriland.
DAFM
As part of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), breaches of IDR rules are being managed in a new way from this year onwards by the department.
Cross compliance or conditionality penalties can no longer be applied to a farmer’s direct payments for breaching these requirements.
Where the department feels it is justified, a herd restriction notice is issued to a farmer where “serious IDR non-compliances are found”.
The farmer will then be required to take the necessary corrective action before the restriction is lifted by the department.
In the event that a farmer does not take corrective action, a fixed payment notice (FPN), applied at a flat rate of €250, will be issued by the department.
Failure to pay within 28 days may result in a court appearance and an increased risk of further inspection.
Up to mid-September, 39 compliance notices restricting herds were issued and four were withdrawn.
No FPNs have been issued or prosecution initiated in relation to IDR non-compliances year-to-date.