3rd February 2015

ICSA president Patrick Kent has criticised the impending publication of CAP recipients as being an unacceptable invasion of privacy for farmers.

“The vast majority of farmers are getting sums which are not out of line with what social welfare recipients receive and it serves no useful purpose to publish the names and amounts received. It is useful to have a handle on the distribution of CAP payments but there is no need for the excessive intrusion and bureaucratic effort involved in naming every single beneficiary.”

Mr Kent went on to query how this decision by the Commission had been sanctioned, given that the previous publication of precise details was found disproportionate by a German court.