Minister Coveney Must Challenge Move to Publish Farmers’ Cap Payments
IFA President Eddie Downey said farmers are extremely angry that the Minister for Agriculture and the EU Commission intend to breach confidentiality in respect of their personal financial data by proceeding with the publication of individual CAP payments.
Eddie Downey said Minister Coveney has confirmed that his Department is working on a CAP database with the intention that all of the information will be published by May 31st.
The IFA President said Minister Coveney must protect farmers’ rights and security, and challenge this unacceptable and unnecessary infringement at every level.
Eddie Downey said he has again written to Minister Coveney on the matter reiterating the IFA’s strong objections on the grounds of confidentiality, lack of proportionality and the security threat involved for farmers. He said these issues remain very serious and genuine concerns for all farmers.
Eddie Downey said he expects Minister Coveney to take on board the genuine concerns of the farming community in any final decisions he makes on this matter.