Calls for ‘farmers charter’ scheme to ease fines in NI

The Ulster Farmers’ Union has called for the introduction of a “Farmers Charter”, similar to a scheme that operates in the Republic of Ireland, to give producers a bit of leeway should they make genuine mistakes when filling out subsidy application forms.

Figures released this week as part of the UFU’s “Cut It Out” campaign against red tape, show that the province’s farmers were charged about £2m last year in penalties for administrative errors, such as duplicate claims on rented fields.

“We have reached a point where minor, unintentional errors on application forms are generating penalties which in some instances are running to tens of thousands of pounds,” said UFU president, Kenneth Sharkey.

Mr Sharkey pointed out that in the Republic of Ireland a tolerance-based Farmers Charter ensured that farmers facing financial penalties were given the chance to explain why an error had occurred and so avoid unjust fines.