A new protocol for farm inspections taking place in Co Kilkenny has been agreed.

The protocol comes following negotiations between Kilkenny Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and Kilkenny County Council in recent weeks. It sets out an agreed set of principles for farm inspections.

A meeting was hosted by Kilkenny IFA environment committee representative Eamonn Sheehan on his farm. It demonstrated the extensive measures being undertaken to protect watercourses and enhance biodiversity, while producing high-quality food.

Significance

Kilkenny IFA chair Brendan Hickey said the agreement is significant in what it provides for farm families across Kilkenny.

“Farm inspections under the new national agriculture inspections programme have raised concerns for farmers and this gives a degree of clarity.

“The meeting was a great opportunity for [the] IFA to demonstrate to our county councillors the level of work on water quality and biodiversity. I think everybody that attended came away with a much better understanding of how much progress is being made in these areas,” added Hickey.

Under the programme, county councils are required to carry out environmental inspections on farms.

The IFA said it has raised the concerns of farmers in this regard, in particular the need for an appropriate notice period in advance of any inspection.