Rights of way change may affect payments

NEW legislation on rights of way could threaten entitlement to the single farm payment.

For land to be eligible in the Single Payment Scheme (SPS), one of the conditions is that there must be independent access for animals and/or machinery via a public or private roadway, or a defined right of way. Access over adjoining landowners land is not acceptable.

However, the new Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act of 2009 requires farmers depending on unregistered rights of way to register them before November 30, 2012. Otherwise, they will be extinguished.