Conservation hurting farmers

IFA has linked the failed sale of a farm, and a disappointing sale price for a second farm, to designation by the Government of the lands involved for conservation.

“We believe that farmers must be compensated for the losses which they will suffer”, said Gerry Gunning, the Executive Secretary of IFA’s Rural Development Committee.

“It is clear now that the loss not only involves restrictions on the use of the land, and income from the land, but also the capital value of the farm, if it is to be sold”, said Mr Gunning.

Huge tracts of the countryside were designated through three Government schemes by Dúchas, The Heritage Service, in accordance with EU Directives.

The lands were designated either National Heritage Areas (NHAs); Special Areas of Conservation (SACs); or Special Protection Areas (SPAs).

Land use is restricted on the designated farms.

Management must be in accordance with wildlife protection on 1,100 NHAs (of which about 300 are also designated as SACs or SPAs), covering a total of more than 250,000 acres.

Nearly 400 sites have been submitted as SACs, totalling 10,000 square kilometres.

More than 100 SPAs have been designated in Ireland.

Since April of last year, the role of Dúchas was re-defined, with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government retaining responsibility for natural heritage policy and operations, and local authorities allocated more power in heritage matters. Now, IFA wants all further land designations suspended until negotiations with land owners have been finalised.

Farmer opposition came to a head last year when plans to designate huge expanses of hill land as SPAs for protection of Hen Harrier birds were proposed which would interfere with productive farm management by many land owners.