The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that almost 2,000 farmers have received notifications as a result of satellite farm inspections. This is part of the Area Monitoring System (AMS), which is mandatory for all EU member states to monitor compliance with farm scheme criteria under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The AMS is currently being used to monitor various schemes including the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS), Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC), Protein Aid Scheme (PAS), and Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM).
On September 14, notifications were sent to a total of 1,989 farmers. These notifications indicate that at least one land parcel has failed in the latest round of AMS results. Some of the reasons for failure include the incorrect declaration of crops in a land parcel or the presence of multiple crops when only one was declared. Additionally, the notifications inform farmers of ineligible features such as houses, farm roadways, or farm buildings that were not accurately mapped out.
Farmers and their advisors have been requested to review their land parcels and respond to the notifications on the agfood.ie platform. They are also required to submit supporting photos using the AgriSnap app by the deadline of October 2, 2023. The notifications contain links to a step-by-step guide on how to respond to AMS notifications as well as instructions on how to use AgriSnap.
This is not the first time farmers have received such notifications. In June, approximately 4,750 farmers were contacted by DAFM following satellite farm inspections. These notifications were related to the potential presence of artificial surfaces, such as buildings, farmyard extensions, and farm roadways, on their land parcels.