Farm group seeks huge compensation for accepting walkers

The Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers' Association is calling for certain farmers to be paid the value of a house site as compensation for allowing hillwalkers to traverse their lands.

The organisation has been to the forefront of a campaign by farmers against walkers who enter their lands to gain access to mountains and other scenic areas.

It says most farmers don't expect money for letting the occasional walker cross their land, but some face repeated invasions of their privacy and should be compensated accordingly.

ICSA president Malcolm Thompson said: "There are certain farmers in particularly scenic areas where the number of hillwalkers walking across their ground is causing a problem for them.

"They should be compensated very adequately because they have problems on their farms. They have lost their privacy and the amount of compensation should be in the region of the value of a house site in that area."