An awareness campaign highlighting the implications of new EU land designations has been launched by the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA).The launch of the campaign was held in Keenagh, Ballina, Co Mayo on Saturday, 18 July, where children and teenagers highlighted the future threat posed by these designations, both to farming and their communities.
An awareness campaign highlighting the implications of new EU land designations has been launched by the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA).
The launch of the campaign was held in Keenagh, Ballina, Co Mayo on Saturday, 18 July, where children and teenagers highlighted the future threat posed by these designations, both to farming and their communities.
Speaking after the launch, INHFA president Colm O’Donnell outlined details of the EU Biodiversity Strategy which will increase the area of land designated as a special area of conservation (SAC) or special protection area (SPA) from 13% up to 30%, as well as introducing a new designation titled strictly protected, which will be applied on a minimum of 10% of the country's land base.
The new strictly protected designation will have major implications for farming, business and community life and is a rewilding proposal under another name, according to O'Donnell.
Land sterilised
O’Donnell said: “With this designation targeted at carbon rich soils, western counties will see large areas of land sterilised as farming activity is ended. There will be major implications for community and business development in areas where this is applied.
“Planning permission for new houses, businesses or public infrastructure such as roads and water treatment plants will be impossible to obtain.”
In addressing suggestions made by some that the organisation could be over exaggerating the threat O’Donnell stated: “The proposed ring road for Galway city has not yet happened and is unlikely to on the current route because of an SAC designation.
“In south Sligo 17,000 people remain on a boil water notice because of the delays in the building of a water treatment plant due to another designation.”
Urgent action
The INHFA has said the current SAC and SPA designations are category four designations and the proposed strictly protected designation is a category 1a designation – the most restrictive designation available.
“This designation requires the removal of any human activity and cessation of all projects including roads and water treatment plants to name but a few. Proposed areas will be mapped and sent to Brussels by the end of this year which is why we have had to move on this now”, O’Donnell concluded.
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