DUBLIN: Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture (DARD) was hit with a £2m bill from HMRC because it did not pay vets’ national insurance contributions.
DARD hires the services of private vets to test for tuberculosis in cattle.
The arrangement has been in place for years, and until April 2014, DARD officials believed they only had to pay the vets’ fees and VAT.
However, HMRC has told them they should have also paid national insurance. It issued the £2m bill, backdated to 2009.
‘Serious mistake’
A DARD spokesperson told the BBC that department officials were still negotiating with HMRC on the matter but added that they have now paid the requested arrears “on account without prejudice” while the talks continue.
Ulster Unionist Robin Swann has accused DARD of making a “serious mistake” and said he was “shocked” when details of the £2m HMRC bill emerged during a recent meeting of Stormont’s agriculture committee.
