Minister promises Tipperary farm leader that no new land designations are to be given

Speaking following a meeting with Christopher O'Sullivan, Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, on the concerns being expressed by the owners of designated land, the Tipp farmer serving as ICMSA Deputy President, Eamon Carroll, said he has asked the Minister to ensure that the full resources of the state be made available to those farmers who have had their land designated.

“The Minister gave firm commitments that there will be no more new land designations and, importantly, he repeated the assurance that rewetting of land under the Nature Restoration Law will be voluntary on private lands. That’s obviously important and we will be holding the Government to that commitment and their commitment that no new impositions on private lands will be introduced”, said Mr Carroll, who also chairs the Farm & Rural Affairs Committee.

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Describing the meeting and exchanges as being “very frank”, Mr Carroll said that farmers needed trust in the process around designations to be restored and commitments on funding to be given.

“We have an opportunity in the coming months and years to finally right the wrongs and the missed opportunities of the last 30 years. There needs to be a full costing associated with designations and implementation of the actions required to ensure that both farming and nature can flourish in these areas”, said the ICMSA Deputy President, who farms in Loughmore.

“That’s going to mean a total reset and properly funded actions identified and implemented. The Designated Areas Group should be allowed to lead on this and one of the first actions should be to communicate with the farmers who have designated land to properly inform them of the exact nature of that designation, its implications and – just as importantly – the Government’s obligations and responsibilities to ensuring that the farmers are not out of pocket as a result of the State’s decision to designate their land”, he said.

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Concluding, Mr Carroll said that this was an opportunity to correct an impression that had built-up over decades of unfairness and indifference to the farmers who were the subject of designations.

He stressed the need for ongoing dialogue with the Minister and said ICMSA was willing to work as hard as was necessary to ensure that the best outcomes are achieved where the farmers concerned were treated with the fairness and respect to which they were entitled and which has not always been forthcoming.