IFA President Eddie Downey has said the decision by the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney to close down the Department’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and establish a new division is welcome. He said “It recognises the concerns IFA has repeatedly expressed about the unit since I took over as President. The move also reflects the deep unease among farm families about the activities of the SIU.”

Speaking on the announcement the Minister said “following a recent review of the governance structure...I decided there was a need for the establishment of a new Investigations Division”.

“I was determined to have in place a strong, cohesive, consolidated and effective investigation capability to ensure and protect the reputation of the expanding Agri-food industry and indeed public funds”.

Downey said farmers had no faith in the SIU and this move by the Minister must restore the credibility of the Department of Agriculture’s investigative oversight among farm families and the wider agricultural community.

The IFA President said the Minister must ensure there is rigorous oversight of the work of the new unit. “The unit will also have to have the Charter of Rights and the Department Charter as part of its terms of reference. Both were ignored in the past as the SIU rode roughshod over the rights of hard-working farmers. The new unit will have to ensure people being investigated are treated properly, fairly and impartially.”

However, ICSA President Patrick Kent has warned that Minister Coveney’s announcement today of a new Investigation Division is premature.

“The Minister’s first action should be to disband the Special Investigations Unit (SIU),” said Mr. Kent. “He then needs to thoroughly investigate where it all went wrong, and publish his findings. Only then should he consider how to deal with such issues in the future, and obviously it would be completely unacceptable to have any further involvement of any personnel associated with the former SIU," he said.

The new arrangement brings all investigation capability, both internal and external, into one Division. It is headed by a Senior Superintending Veterinary Officer, supported by a team of investigators, some of whom are core members of the team and others to be drawn from areas where their expertise will be beneficial to the conduct of particular types of investigations.

The new Investigations Division reports to an Investigations Steering Group chaired by the Assistant Secretary General responsible for Corporate Affairs and will comprise the Chief Veterinary Officer, the Assistant Secretary General with responsibility for direct payments, and the Heads of Legal Services, Internal Audit and HR.

This group will, in all new cases, determine whether matters should be referred back to the relevant inspection areas of the Department for follow through, whether an investigation is warranted and if so, whether this should be conducted by the Investigations Division or referred to the Garda Siochana.

Where investigations are being conducted internally, the Steering Group will oversee the conduct of investigations and, in conjunction with the Head of the Division, determine whether the submission of cases for prosecution is warranted. This new Investigations Division includes the functions previously undertaken by the Special Investigations Unit.

See this week's Irish Farmers Journal for a full report on the SIU being stepped down.