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janeiro 24, 2005
How a spy in sky will keep an EU eye on those who till the land
Fonte: The Times
How a spy in sky will keep an EU eye on those who till the land
By Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor
A NEW “spy in the sky” satellite is being deployed to snoop on farmers and trap cash cheats.The technology will be used this year to police the new system of farm payments to be introduced throughout the European Union, signalling the biggest revolution in farming since the Second World War.
For the first time, following the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), farmers are to receive handouts from Brussels for looking after the land instead of keeping animals for food production. The satellite will be able to ensure that they are looking after the land and encouraging wildlife habitats in return for £3 billion from the taxpayer.
The camera is so powerful it can even pick out a farmer ploughing the land. It can see the furrows in a field, measure field margins and even check on the state of hedgerows and footpaths.
The Times has been shown a digital image of a remote farm inspection and tracked down the owner of the farm. Jeremy Cooper, 45, who runs the 1,500-acre Chantry Farm, at Woodham Ferrers, near Chelmsford, Essex, mapped here, was shocked to learn that his farm has been inspected by the satellite as part of a trial. He looked at the image and immediately recognised every slope and corner of his land, his five-bedroomed brick farmhouse and outbuildings. The red areas indicate greenfield, woodland or other vegetation, the blue areas are ploughed field or soil and the purple shows crops growing in the fields.
He was amazed by the detail, especially the tractor lines and the ponds in his fields. “I had no idea we had been spied on like this,” he said. “I’m more than surprised and can honestly say I’m shocked by what you have shown me. I’m rather an easygoing kind of person but other farmers will definitely think this is Big Brother.”
His farm business receives about £76,500 in handouts under the CAP — the payments work out at about £85 an acre on 900 acres traditionally used for cereal production, mainly wheat, oilseed rape, peas and beans.
Mr Cooper accepted that to continue to receive taxpayers’ cash, farmers would have to accept the surveillance. “They have got us over a barrel if we receive state money. On the plus side this might also cut out the need for inspectors on the farm and get rid of some of the red tape.”
He has yet to decide which green farming practices to adopt to meet conditions for the new farm payments but knows that everything he does is now on full view. Tim Bennett, president of the National Farmers’ Union, said: “I think this is a great anti-fraud measure, especially for countries where past administration of farm payments has not been as rigorous as in Britain. It will be really useful in this respect.
“Most farmers are honest and want cheats to be caught. But we have to make sure there are safeguards on people’s privacy.”
Richard Haddock, the union’s livestock committee chairman, who rears beef in South Devon, was incredulous that the technology might be used on any farm. “I don’t think farmers are aware of this. It is amazing how Big Brother this Government is getting. You realise you can be watched at any time by anyone.”
His land is crossed by numerous footpaths and he said: “I was talking to ramblers on my land about the satellite the other day and they really didn't like the idea that someone might be able to follow them and watch them.” This satellite technology, however, is to be used by most European Union countries this year. Only Austria, Finland and Portugal are currently exempt, though they may sign up later.
Simon Kay, a scientific officer for the European Commission joint research centre near Milan, which has been testing the satellite’s value in policing the €45 million farm budget, said it had been used by some countries for inspecting olive groves, cereal and vegetable farms.“The privacy of farmers is not an issue. We are not interested in what individuals are doing. You can see a speck but you don’t know if it’s a person, an animal or a tractor.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs could not say how much the images would cost but the money will come from the Rural Payments Agency. About 5 per cent of England’s 70,000 farms will be inspected each year.
Publicado por esta às janeiro 24, 2005 11:00 PM