{"id":1978,"date":"2021-08-16T07:23:03","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T07:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legalblog.ie\/?p=1978"},"modified":"2022-10-02T19:22:50","modified_gmt":"2022-10-02T19:22:50","slug":"department-of-agriculture-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Department of Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_63 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Functions\" title=\"Functions\">Functions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Appeals_Office\" title=\"Appeals Office\">Appeals Office<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Agencies\" title=\"Agencies\">Agencies<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Functional_Units\" title=\"Functional Units\">Functional Units<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Rural_environmental_protection_scheme\" title=\"Rural environmental protection scheme\">Rural environmental protection scheme<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Single_Payment_Scheme\" title=\"Single Payment Scheme +\">Single Payment Scheme +<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#On-farm_investment_schemes\" title=\"On-farm investment schemes\">On-farm investment schemes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Subsidies_Division\" title=\"Subsidies Division\">Subsidies Division<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Export_Refunds\" title=\"Export Refunds\">Export Refunds<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Forest_Service\" title=\"Forest Service\">Forest Service<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Forestry_Policies\" title=\"Forestry Policies\">Forestry Policies<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Forestry_Inspectorate\" title=\"Forestry Inspectorate\">Forestry Inspectorate<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Policy_Units\" title=\"Policy Units\">Policy Units<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture-2\/#Beef_Policy\" title=\"Beef Policy\">Beef Policy<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Functions\"><\/span>Functions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Department\u2019s functions include<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>development of a consumer-focused agrifood sector.<\/li>\n<li>Maintenance of high standards in the area of food safety,<\/li>\n<li>animal and plant welfare and health,<\/li>\n<li>disease elimination<\/li>\n<li>discharge of EU and national legislation<\/li>\n<li>payment of EU and national support schemes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Department has published a statement of strategy, consumer service action plan and customer charter.\u00a0 It is also published charters of rights for farmers.<\/p>\n<p>The Department publishes an annual guide setting out schemes and services. Agrivision 2015 sets out actions designed to ensure the success of the farming sector.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Appeals_Office\"><\/span>Appeals Office<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Agriculture Appeals Office provides service to farmers who are dissatisfied with the decisions of the Department in relation to entitlements under certain schemes.\u00a0 The appeals officers are independent in the performance of their functions.\u00a0 The appeals must generally be lodged within 3 months.\u00a0 Each case is assigned to an individual appeals officer who makes a determination, having reviewed the evidence.\u00a0 The appellant has a right to an oral hearing at a neutral venue.\u00a0 They are held in private and are informal.<\/p>\n<p>The Agriculture Appeals Office hears appeals under the following schemes<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Single payment<\/li>\n<li>Area-based compensation<\/li>\n<li>Arable aid payments<\/li>\n<li>Extentification premium<\/li>\n<li>Rural environmental protection scheme<\/li>\n<li>Organic farming schemes<\/li>\n<li>Early retirement scheme<\/li>\n<li>Farm investment schemes<\/li>\n<li>Installation aids<\/li>\n<li>Certain aspects of disease eradication schemes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Agencies\"><\/span>Agencies<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The consumer liaison panel liaises on general consumers and client-based issues in relation to the Department\u2019s activities and comments on the flows of information both to and from the public.\u00a0 It meets on a regular basis to provide input and feedback from the consumer\u2019s perspective to the Department. \u00a0Consumers may communicate with the panel.<\/p>\n<p>The Food Safety Authority of Ireland is a national body responsible for food safety enforcement.\u00a0 It is an independent agency whose primary function is to protect public health and consumer interests.\u00a0 It uses service contracts with a number of government agencies.<\/p>\n<p>The Department has a service contract in relation to meet hygiene, milk and milk products, eggs, pesticide control, border inspection, residue monitoring and food labelling.<\/p>\n<p>Safe Food is the food safety promotion board.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Functional_Units\"><\/span>Functional Units<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Department is divided into a number of functional units each under a member of the Department\u2019s management committee. The subDivisions of functional areas are divided into four principal headings<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>agricultural payments; encompassing single payments, investments, forestry and agricultural structural Division<\/li>\n<li>policy unit encompassing EU trade, planning CAP and rural development,<\/li>\n<li>meat, hygiene and animal by-product Division,<\/li>\n<li>crop policy,<\/li>\n<li>corporate affairs<\/li>\n<li>corporate development including finance, accounting, audit and management services<\/li>\n<li>food safety and animal health including livestock breeding, pesticides, animal health and welfare, national beef assurance Division<\/li>\n<li>Agricultural payments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rural_environmental_protection_scheme\"><\/span>Rural environmental protection scheme<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The principal purpose of REPS is<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>to establish farming practices and control production methods consistent with conservation landscape protection and environmental preservation<\/li>\n<li>to protect wild habitats and endangered species and<\/li>\n<li>to produce quality food in an extensive and environmentally friendly manner<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Random checks and inspections are made in relation to a number of cases before payments are effected.\u00a0 The payments are made for a 5-year period<\/p>\n<p>The unit is responsible for the coordination of matters relating to the early retirement scheme.\u00a0 This scheme is opened to farmers within 55 and 66 who practise farming for 10 years and who retire from farming definitively and transfer of farms to qualified younger farmers.<\/p>\n<p>The organic farming unit promotes the development of the organic farming sector.\u00a0 It is the competent authority under EU regulations on organic food production.\u00a0 The largest source of funding is from the REPS scheme.\u00a0 The objective is to encourage producers to respond to the market for organic produce.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Single_Payment_Scheme\"><\/span>Single Payment Scheme +<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The single payment scheme is the central scheme of farm support in the EU for the period 2005 to 2014 and for 2014-2020.\u00a0 It is based on outputs in certain reference year 2000 to 2002 and replaced the pre-existing livestock and arable aid schemes from 2005.<\/p>\n<p>The scheme is comprised of a number of individual entitlements.\u00a0 The number of payment entitlements is related to the average number of eligible hectares declared during the reference years and gives a monetary value per entitlement.<\/p>\n<p>The dairy premium scheme was established in 2005 and was added to the existing SPS entitlement.\u00a0 Former sugar farmers were entitled to additional entitlements or referable to the sugar beet reference period 2001, 2002 and 2004. Payments under the scheme are made in a single lump sum.\u00a0 The application form must be made and completed annually<\/p>\n<p>The Department maintains a database of entitlements in order to ensure proper payments to the current holder.\u00a0 Farmers may transfer their entitlements with or without land.\u00a0 This may occur by sales, transfer, \u00a0inheritance, gift, lease, merger or change of legal status. There is a procedure for the transfer of entitlements.<\/p>\n<p>There is a national reserve to minimise the impact on farmers who were disadvantaged by the impact of the rules due to the factors operating in the reference years or afterwards.\u00a0 It may also cater for farmers who entered farming after 2002.<\/p>\n<p>There are requirements for cross-compliance.\u00a0 The Department undertakes on-farm checks and eligibility checks.\u00a0 It carries out administrative checks on applications and verifies entitlements. EU legislation requires sampling and control and on the spot checks. A certain amount of checking is undertaken remotely.<\/p>\n<p>The area-based disadvantage area compensatory allowance scheme is administered by the section.\u00a0 The aims of the scheme are to ensure continued agricultural land use and contribute to the maintenance of a viable rural community to maintain the countryside and promote sustainable farming<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"On-farm_investment_schemes\"><\/span>On-farm investment schemes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Department aims to improve agricultural structures by providing aid at farm level to improve the environment, dairy, hygiene animal welfare standards and to reduce the average farmers\u2019 age.<\/p>\n<p>The 2000-2006 scheme provided schemes for investment aid for farm waste, improvements in dairy hygiene standards, alternative enterprises, installation aid for young farmers.<\/p>\n<p>The schemes are formulated under the regional operational programs and the Department processes the payments under each scheme.\u00a0 The schemes are administered through a network of local agricultural environmental and structure (AES) offices.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Subsidies_Division\"><\/span>Subsidies Division<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Subsidies and Storage Division administers EU aided schemes for private storage, dehydrated fodder, starch production aids and other aid schemes incorporating milk and milk products. This includes casein, market butter used in the production of pastry products or ice cream, aid for skimmed milk and subsidy on milk consumed by schoolchildren and butter used by certain non-profit organisations.<\/p>\n<p>The schemes are delivered with the support of and liaison with bodies such as cooperatives and private storage facilities.\u00a0 They are available to traders and processors in the commodities concerned.\u00a0 The Department monitors production quality and storage conditions for the commodities.<\/p>\n<p>The division administers EU assisted intervention schemes in relation to butter, milk powder, cereals, sugar and beef.\u00a0 Intervention is designed to support the price of agricultural products and ensure an orderly market by purchasing into intervention where there is oversupply and selling out when the market conditions improve.<\/p>\n<p>The Division is responsible for the purchase, storage, and sale of commodities under the scheme. The Department acts as the agent of the European Commission in coordinating schemes<\/p>\n<p>The section administers the fallen animal schemes.\u00a0 It subsidises the collection of fallen bovine carcasses, \u00a0rendering disposal and incineration of fallen animal carcasses.\u00a0 The staff has responsibility for the processing of claims from knackeries for the collection of bovine animals.\u00a0 The Department implements EU rules regarding animal by-products not intended for human use.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Export_Refunds\"><\/span>Export Refunds<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Export Refunds Division pays EU finance refunds on imports and exports to third countries under the common agricultural policy.\u00a0 It applies to milk products, beef, cereal, pig meat, poultry and eggs and processed products containing certain agricultural products.<\/p>\n<p>The Export Refund Division issues import licenses for certain commodities including wine, milk and milk products and sugar.\u00a0 Other imports are licensed by other areas of the Department.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Forest_Service\"><\/span>Forest Service<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Forest Service has an administrative and inspectorate side.\u00a0 The administrative side is divided into operational and policy divisions.\u00a0 The operations divisions designs and administers various grants and premium schemes for national forestry programs.\u00a0 It also deals with the control of felling, replanting forest health and IT development.<\/p>\n<p>The section deals with proposals for afforestation and other activities supported under grants and premium schemes and issues approvals and refusals.\u00a0 The section also deals with changes of applicants for schemes arising out of death, transfer of grant-aided plantation. It recovers grant and premium payments when land is taken out of forestry use.<\/p>\n<p>The appeals unit deals with the review of applications and claims when customers\/the public are dissatisfied.<\/p>\n<p>The payment section manage first and second instalment grants, maintenance grants and premiums under all forestry schemes.<\/p>\n<p>IFORIS and Felling manages and controls felling under the Forestry Act.\u00a0 It issues license and prosecutes cases of alleged illegal felling.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Forestry_Policies\"><\/span>Forestry Policies<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Policy Division is responsible for national forestry policies.\u00a0 This includes the promotion of private forestry, environmental compatibility, training and promotion of research in forestry and forest produce.<\/p>\n<p>The Division deals with forestry issues at national European and international levels.\u00a0 It is responsible for the development of national policies and programs that promote the growth of forests in Ireland taking account of EU and national legislation<\/p>\n<p>The promotion and training section considers applications and allocates funds in relation to the promotion of forestry and the development of public awareness.\u00a0 It also facilitates measures to train landowners and other persons involved in forestry establishment and management as well as those downstream in the processing and marketing sector.\u00a0 It liaises with Coillte Teoranta to ensure adherence to the provisions of the forestry legislation.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Forestry_Inspectorate\"><\/span>Forestry Inspectorate<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Forest Service Inspectorate ensures through inspections, advice and decisions that all forestry legislative and operational issues on according to principles and practice of sustainable forest management, the code of best forest practice and the operational requirements of all forestry schemes administered by the forest service.<\/p>\n<p>It sets and maintains quality standards, implements legislation, carries out field inspections and makes reports and recommendations. The forestry services inspectorate includes experts in archaeology, ecology and landscape architecture.<\/p>\n<p>District forestry inspectors carry out<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>inspection of proposals and applications<\/li>\n<li>grant schemes<\/li>\n<li>felling licences,<\/li>\n<li>inspections relating to forest protection,<\/li>\n<li>forestry reproduction material and other technical aspects of forestry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They also engage in promoting and encouragement in the development of private forestry through lectures, field demonstrations, exhibitions, workshops and liaison with Teagasc.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Policy_Units\"><\/span>Policy Units<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Policy Unit of the Department of Agriculture comprises three distinct areas. each with its own assistant secretary-general.<\/p>\n<p>The EU Trade Division coordinates and decides on optimum policy framework for the agri-food sector, rural economy and natural environment at the EU and international level by coordinating and deciding policy.\u00a0 It<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>negotiates at the international and EU level,<\/li>\n<li>coordinates briefing on services,<\/li>\n<li>various high-level bilateral meetings,<\/li>\n<li>ensures EU directives that transposed into law,<\/li>\n<li>notifies state aids in the agrifood sectors to the Commission<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Economics and Planning Division provides services to Minister on economics, statistics, policy planning and policy analysis.\u00a0 It carries out work for other divisions or directly for the Minister.<\/p>\n<p>The CAP rural development provision is to ensure the best policy framework for rural development. \u00a0It coordinates through liaison with other divisions, bodies, Departments, regional assemblies, social partners and the European Commission.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Beef_Policy\"><\/span>Beef Policy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Beef Policy section develops and formulates policy relating to the cattle and beef sector.\u00a0 This involves<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>promoting and defending Irish interests at EU beef and veal management committee level and other fora monitoring and evaluating EU policies and trading conditions,<\/li>\n<li>monitoring and evaluating developments in third countries<\/li>\n<li>management of the beef import licensing scheme<\/li>\n<li>implementation of beef labelling rules,<\/li>\n<li>evaluation of grant applications by processors in the beef industry<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The general rules on the beef market organisation are agreed at the EU level and laid down in EU regulation<\/p>\n<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-1978\" data-postid=\"1978\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-1978 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Functions The Department\u2019s functions include development of a consumer-focused agrifood sector. Maintenance of high standards in the area of food safety, animal and plant welfare and health, disease elimination discharge of EU and national legislation payment of EU and national support schemes The Department has published a statement of strategy, consumer service action plan and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[264],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1978"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2042,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978\/revisions\/2042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}