The greenway code of practice is "a template” for issues on access, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has said.

ICMSA farm and rural affairs committee chair Denis Drennan has said his organisation welcomes agreement on a code of practice for greenway development and observed that it “hits the desired balance” for farmers and landowners, both in terms of fair payment and avoidance of what Drennan said would be tiresome and time-consuming CPOs and legal disputes.

"The very first thing to note is that the code of practice does not undermine a landowner’s legal rights in any way and it is a voluntary option available to a landowner if they should so wish," he said.

Committed to public good

Drennan commented on how farmers had shown themselves to be co-operative and committed to the public good where fairness was shown to the farmers concerned.

He said: "The negotiations had been protracted and involved and that the working group set up by the Department of Transport had been diligent and conscious of the rights of the farmers and landowners."

He noted that this realism and appreciation of the nature of the question contrasted starkly with the atmosphere around other so-called ‘access issues’ where progress was impossible because of unrealistic expectations that farmer-landowners should just put aside their own rights and property in the interests of visitors or ramblers.

Template

Drennan said that progress on greenways provided the template for future discussions on these questions: “Where farmers are consulted and treated with respect, where our rights and property are respected, progress can and will be made.

"[The] ICMSA believes that the code does protect farmers’ rights and provides clear guidance around the issues with greenways for farmers. "Obviously, we think that the use of private property for greenway should be minimised and the level of disturbance must be kept to an absolute minimum," Drennan concluded.