Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has been called on to commence negotiations to develop a new Charter of Rights by the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA).

The current Charter, put in place in 2015, is due to expire at the end of this year.

ICMSA deputy president Lorcan McCabe said his organisation would be seeking improvements in the delivery and implementation of farm schemes covered by the charter. He acknowledged there has been progress in areas such as BPS payments but added there were still areas of concerns.

Inspections

“Clearly, the issue of inspections remains a major bone of contention for farmers and we need to see real simplification in relation to farm inspections in the next Farmers Charter,” he said.

“ICMSA will be pushing for farmers to be treated more fairly, both in relation to the notice period of inspections and an improved tolerance system where minor breaches of regulations do not lead to a financial penalty.”

With CAP negotiations yet to be concluded, there is currently uncertainty in the area of farm schemes post 2020. There is likely to be a transitional phase for at least two years with the Charter covering this period and when the new CAP begins.

Transition

McCabe said this meant the Charter would have to be a work in progress but stressed that there needed to be one in place in 2021 to ensure farmers rights were protected.

“We’ll be raising the matter of the new charter at the Farmers Charter Monitoring Committee meeting scheduled for this coming Thursday 8 October and asking the Department for outline plans around timelines and consultation,” McCabe concluded.

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