This article is from page 49 of the 2008-09-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 49 JPG
MINISTER of State at the Depart- ment of Agriculture, Tony Killeen has confirmed that his department will be publishing details of CAP payments later this month despite opposition from all the main farm- ing organisations.
Stating that the requirement to publish these details was directly applicable and mandatory in all EU member states, the Clare TD said the details that will be published include the beneficiaries’ name, their partial address and payments funded or co- funded by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) or the Eu- ropean Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
Mr Kileeen’s’ announcement brought an angry reaction from IFA Deputy President Derek Deane who described it as “a case of bureauc- racy gone mad”.
He said it was a particularly sensi- tive issue as it involved the publica- tion of personal financial informa- tion of farmers. “In a lot of cases, Teagasc farm income data would suggest that the Single Payment is the total income of farmers. IFA believe that the Department of Agriculture’s insensitivity 1s mind-boggling.”
This was also the view of ICSA Munster Vice President Edmond Phelan who said that he didn’t see the EU rushing to give us details of the expenses paid to either its own officials or MEPs.
‘As usual, it is the ordinary people that suffer the most from EU bu- reaucracy whereas the fat cats and eurocrats escape closer scrutiny. This 1s a serious invasion of privacy and is unwarranted considering that the average Single Farm Payment in Ireland is less than €10,000. Farm families are being exposed to intru- sion and this will give rise to serious OFT akon
“The Department of Agriculture should not proceed with this until they have further consultations with farm bodies,’ he concluded.
Explaining that his department was obliged to publish the information under the terms of an EU Council regulation, Minister Killeen said the information being published at this
time would relate to payments made between January | and October 15, 2007.
He confirmed that the depart- ment would be publishing certain details before the end of next April of payments made under the Farm Improvement and Young Farmers’ Installation Aid Schemes as well as Single Farm Payments. These de- tails would relate to payments made between October 16, 2007 and Octo- ber 15, 2008.
He explained that the requirement to publish these details should be seen against the negotiation by the Government of an EU-funded CAP package of approximately €12 bil- lion for the Irish Agri-Food sector for the period 2007-2013.