Ulster Farmers’ Union president Ian Marshall has expressed his concern following the European Commission’s decision to proceed with the publication of individual CAP payments. He said, “Since 2005 the UFU has objected to the publication of Single Farm Payment Information. We have always felt that publishing the individual figures is an intrusion into the affairs of farmers and serves no public interest but simply creates a ‘curiosity shop’ on the internet.”
In November 2010 the UFU had welcomed a European Court ruling stating that publishing the names of farmers and the amount of Single Farm Payment they receive was not a suitable way to achieve public transparency. Ian continued, “At that time we were pleased with the ruling and subsequently the UK government removed the Single Farm Payment information from the public domain, which we believe was the right decision. However, in light of this new development, I would like to see that it’s done less intrusively by anonymising the payment information, such as by removing farmers’ names, which should ensure a balance between public scrutiny and the right to privacy.”
