Revenue officials visited the farm of former Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) deputy president Brian Rushe to view items that are in dispute in relation to the VAT rebate.

IFA farm business chair Bill O’Keeffe said Revenue official Chad Egan was shown a number of items.

“He came on farm with an open mind to look at all the items we were contesting or discussing. He wouldn’t be overly familiar with farms, so we showed him what cubicle mats are, what slat mats are.

“We brought him into a state-of-the-art calf shed. I think he would have taken on board that there is a bit more on the structure side in a calf shed with the calf feeders,” he said.

O’Keeffe added that the IFA is negotiating with Revenue to allow VAT reclaim by non-VAT-registered farmers on meal bins that are 5t and above, as opposed to 10t as it stands, among a number of other items.