Natura farmers require proper ‘compo’

FARMERS with designated lands – many of them in the Connemara area – must get better compensation for loss of income and devaluation of their lands, according to the IFA.

Cáillin Conneely, IFA National Hill Chairman, said this week that restrictions due to land designations were responsible for income losses to affected farmers – an issue that needed to be properly addressed.

Last week, Mr. Conneely attended a meeting of the Designated Areas Monitoring Committee, attended by Heritage Minister, Malcolm Noonan, to discuss the issue of better compensation payments for farmers who faced land restrictions.

He said that the re-introduction of the NPWS (National Parks and Wildlife Service) Farm Plan Scheme was a positive first step in the process but added that more needed to be done.

“Greater funding is needed to expand the number of farm plans on the scheme, with increased payment rates to reflect the additional costs and burden on farmers whose land is designated.

“An Enhanced Farm Plan Scheme must be funded through the national exchequer and must cater for all farmers with designations who apply,” he said.

The Hill Chairman said that IFA were now calling for the introduction of an independent arbitration scheme to determine the loss of value or impact on business caused by designations with a budget to be put in place to cover the costs associated with it.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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