A farm leader has called for "a yellow card" system for farmers who have been found not to be in compliance with EU regulations when their farms are inspected.
The president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, Mr Pat O'Rourke, has said he is disappointed that new draft regulations covering farm inspections do not include such a system.
Tough new inspection rules are being put in place to ensure farmers are obeying the regulations so they can receive their EU single payments.
Five per cent of all farms will be inspected annually and farmers could be penalised if their farms are not compliant.
Mr O'Rourke said if problems were discovered during the inspection, the farmer would be issued with a warning and given a reasonable time and opportunity to rectify that problem.
"When the problem has been rectified, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association feels that no penalties should apply," said Mr O'Rourke.
Mr O'Rourke, who heads the State's second-largest farm organisation, said a consultation document issued last week by the Department of Agriculture was far from satisfactory on a number of issues, including the amount of warning time farmers should expect before inspection.
"ICMSA is firmly of the opinion that the 48 hours - the maximum time period suggested - is hopelessly inadequate. It's simply much too short and is unacceptable to farmers," Mr O'Rourke said. "Where farmers are working part-time and where full-time farmers are working on their own, it is just not possible for people to drop what they're doing and make themselves available to the Department's officials at 48 hours notice.
"ICMSA is proposing a period of 14 days so that the farmers concerned can make some arrangements. The Department must negotiate this with the commission in a way that takes account of the reality of farming today."
The Department has sought comment on the cross-compliance system which will form part of the regulations covering the single payment, on or before November 19th.