Farmers urge fair deal on hen harrier land

Ireland is required to identify and protect the most important sites for the hen harrier, but this is having a detrimental effect on many farm families, reports Ray Ryan

THE designation of land for the protection of the hen harrier is turning many rural areas across nine Irish counties into a wilderness. Critics of the designation, who claim this to be the case, say farming restrictions associated with the designation are preventing thousands of families from working the land concerned and is depriving them of a viable income from farming. But the impact goes even further and is now being seen as yet another serious threat to the survival of small rural communities.

That’s because the value of land in designated areas is regarded as being worthless because it can’t be planted and, therefore, will not attract bids from potential buyers if it is put up for sale.