The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is on a collision course with the Department of Agriculture following its decision to refuse access to department inspectors on unannounced visits to farms from Monday next.
Department inspectors are seeking to carry out 1,500 inspections over the next two weeks to check compliance with the controversial nitrates regulations and all other EU schemes under the Single Farm Payment.
A spokesman for the department refused to comment on the proposed action by the IFA.
IFA president Pádraig Walshe said farmers were being treated as guilty on their own farms under the current system and unannounced farm inspections were unacceptable.
The IFA was demanding that all farmers selected for inspection be provided with a copy of the checklist used by the department inspectors in advance.
"Farmers are entitled to see the actual checklist used by the department inspectors and how the penalties are calculated. I am now demanding that the Department of Agriculture issues farmers the checklist in advance of any inspection and provide farmers with a signed copy of the inspection report on the day of the inspection," he said.
He said the Department of Agriculture's nitrates meetings which are taking place were highly unsatisfactory in explaining the regulations.