Every year the Department of Agriculture carry out thousands of inspections on farms across the country.
The selection of inspection candidates are chosen by means of a risk analysis selection. This is where risks are identified and selections are then made on the basis of these risks. These are applied to applicants across the country.
There are also a number of inspection candidates selected on a purely random basis.
Currently, farmers selected for inspections may have inspections carried out on one or more of the following areas.
- Eligibility checks (On land declared)
- Cross-compliance checks covering the Statutory Management Requirements (SMRs) and Good
- Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC).
- Areas of Natural Constrains Scheme
Eligibility checks must be carried out on 5% of applicants for the Basic Payment Scheme. These can be carried out by a Department of Agriculture inspector visiting the holding to establish the area and usage of the land or by means of remote sensing where the area and usage is established by means of satellite imagery and ortho-photography.
Cross-compliance checks covering all the SMRs are required for 1% of applicants. However, 5% of bovine producers and 3% of ovine producers must be inspected under animal identification and registration requirements.
5% of Disadvantaged Areas’ Compensatory Allowance Scheme applicants are also checked.
How to make an appeal
If an applicant is dissatisfied with the outcome of eligibility or cross compliance inspections carried out on the holding, they may seek a review of the decision to the District Inspector for their region. This process and the relevant contact details will be outlined in the inspection findings notification letter (FN letter) issued to the applicant.
If an applicant wishes to seek a review of the results of a remote sensing inspection they can submit a review request to Remote Sensing Inspections Section. Again this detail will be provided to the applicant in the letter issued outlining the outcome of the inspection.
In the event that the applicant is dissatisfied with the outcome of any such review, the decision can be appealed to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office, within 3 months of the date of review decision letter.
If the applicant feels that their case has been dealt with unfairly by the Agriculture Appeals Office they can raise the matter with the Office of the Ombudsman, 18 Lower Leeson St., Dublin 2.