March 12, 2021 7:22 pm
Northern Ireland Agricultural Consultants Association has called for farmers to be allowed to provide additional evidence at Stage 2 of DAERA’s decision review process.
NIACA chairman David Rankin gave evidence on behalf of the group alongside Jim Carmichael from the Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association (NIAPA) at the Stormont Agriculture Committee on Thursday (March 11).
Rankin called for “more transparency” in the appeals procedure and said the current process caused farmers significant stress, often affecting their mental health.
“[DAERA staff] appear to be protecting each other,” Rankin said.
‘One sided’
“We feel this would be an opportune time to look at how the whole [Review of Decisions] process is conducted,” he said.