The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed to Agriland that this year’s farm inspections for cross compliance with tagging regulations commenced this week.
Inspections to assess compliance with rules on identification and registration (IDR inspections) are carried out on an annual basis by the department to ensure relevant EU legislation is being adhered to.
Herd owners are provided with up to 48 hours’ notice of a planned inspection date.
Cases selected for inspection by the department are chosen by risk analysis, with approximately 20-25% of cases selected randomly.
EU regulations stipulate that 3% of bovine herds are inspected for bovine IDR requirements.
A similar percentage of sheep and goat flocks/herds are inspected for ovine/caprine IDR requirements, which must include 5% of the national flock/herd.
In 2021, the department carried out 3,607 bovine IDR inspections and 1,380 sheep and goat IDR inspections.
Data in respect of 2022 cross compliance inspections is not available as the outcome of those inspections is being finalised.
DAFM
As previously reported, under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) compliance with tagging and registration as a statutory minimum requirement (SMR) was removed.
This means that breaches of IDR regulations will be managed in a new way from this year onwards – through the use of fixed penalty notices (FPN).
The department has said that the change from a conditionality penalty applied to a farmer’s direct payment to a FPN will not have any impact on the level of inspections carried out
“Where justified, a fixed penalty notice (FPN) will issue to an owner where serious IDR non-compliances are found. The FPN will be applied at a flat rate of €250.
“Failure to pay within 28 days may result in a court appearance and an increased risk of further inspection,” a DAFM spokesperson told Agriland.
Under IDR (identification and registration) and traceability rules, farmers are expected to:
- Tag all livestock by tagging deadlines;
- Register all calves within seven days of tagging;
- Notify movements of all livestock promptly;
- Replace lost tags promptly;
- Keep the herd register up-to-date at all times.