Farmers warn of confrontation with hill-walkers

The Irish Farmers' Association is warning of potential confrontation if new proposals on access to land for walkers are adopted.

The association says the recommendations of an expert group to Rural Affairs Minister Eamon Ó Cuív are an assault on property rights.

The group has informed the minister that legally allowing access to farmlands for recreational purposes without compensating the owners would not be unconstitutional.

The IFA, however, is calling for the creation of a countryside walkways initiative which would reward farmers for allowing access to their land.

It says farmers have to pay higher insurance for allowing walkers on their land and also risk having gates left open by hill-walkers.