This article is from page 59 of the 2007-04-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 59 JPG
IN an astonishing pre-election move, the Labour Party last week declared virtual war on Irish farmers through the publication of a new bill on the controversial issue of hill walking.
The bill, which among other thing proposes automatic access to land that is 150 metres or more above sea level, was proposed by party spokesperson for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ruairi Quinn, and prompted outrage from the farming organisations.
The former party leader subse- quently accused the farming organi- sation of failing to read the bill prop- erly and of a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction.
“This is ridiculous. All the major
stakeholders are working through Comhairle na Tuaithe to solve the problem of access. It is important that the Labour Party realise that this 1s- sue 1s far more complicated and sen- sitive than the bill would suggest,” said the ICSA’s sheep vice chairman, Gree mOsebenr-vanter
“It is fine for Labour to say that people should be able to access the countryside, and most farmers are hugely tolerant of this, but to give them the right is a completely differ- ent matter. People who own land, and have paid for it, are entitled to refuse access if they want to, and the idea that they would have to appeal to An Bord Pleanala to uphold their prop- erty rights is ludicrous.”
Meanwhile, the IFA’s Hill Farm-
ing Committee Chairman, Neilie O’Leary, said the Labour Party’s draft bill was a clear contravention of property rights and will have wider implications for property ownership throughout the State.
“The Labour bill is tantamount to nationalisation and I’m amazed by the presumption of rights of access over private property. I’m particular- ly disgusted by the Labour Party’s at- tempts to trample on the livelihoods of hill farmers by trespassing on their property, which in many cases is their sole source of income,” she Sr HKGE
“IT would like to see Ruairi Quinn legislate for public access to his front garden on Sandymount Green, or Liz McManus for her front garden on the
seafront in Bray.”
Responding to the criticism, Deputy Quinn, described criticism to the bill as short sighted and ill-informed.
“Some of the criticism is so wide of the mark as to suggest that the farm- ing representatives have not read either the Bill or the accompanying documentation we _ published last week,” he said.
‘The whole purpose of the Bill is to allow the tens of thousands of people who go hill walking in this country reasonable access to upland areas while at the same time ensuring that farmers are not exposed to undue risk in terms of public liability issues.”