Designations devalue farmland and limit use – Kerry farmer

Designations on farmland, such as special areas of conservation (SAC) status, make it “unsaleable” and severely limit its uses going forward, a Kerry farmer has said.

Speaking at a meeting of Kerry Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) attended by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Lyreacrompane dairy farmer Tom Galvin said land designations are hampering farmers and ground in Kerry needs to be drained for productivity.

“Any designation put on land devalues it. It makes it unsaleable going forward, you can’t get planning on it, you can’t plant it, you can’t put turbines on it, you can’t put solar panels on it. What do you do with it?

“We have to drain our lands, we have to farm it. We were told 50 years ago there was no need of a co-op in Kerry; there was only mountain, heather and rushes there. We proved them wrong then,” he said.

Galvin added that farmers’ rights to their land are being eroded.

“NPWS, the Department and all these can walk on to our land and we can’t stop them. What right have we as farmers? What rights have we on our own land? We own this land. It’s designated and we’re not paid for it.

“We’re guardians of the countryside. The countryside we’re trying to protect has been created by the farmers of Ireland over centuries. And now you’re telling us we can’t protect it?” he said.

The NPWS upholds regulations on land designations.

Peatlands

The meeting focused on addressing issues around land designations with the NPWS, as well as discussing the implications of rewetting and GAEC 2.

On the effect rewetting could have on farmers if their neighbour volunteers for the measure, William Hunt of the NPWS said while decisions have not been made on the logistics of this, in pilot projects if there was not consensus, rewetting was not done.

Speaking on the impact GAEC 2 will have on the county, Kerry IFA chair Jason Fleming said a campaign is needed against GAEC 2, which will restrict drainage and ploughing on peatlands.

“From our perspective down here, I would be hoping to get a bit of a campaign going on this. I think it needs a campaign, we’re in March and this is to come in in May,” he added.