Northern Ireland farmers got a boost yesterday in their battle to stop government agencies vesting their land for industrial purposes.
In the High Court in Belfast, Mr Drew Cowan, from Cascum Road, Banbridge, Co Down, was granted an order quashing the vesting of 48 acres which of his 78-acre farm for an industrial estate. His family has a link to the farm dating back 140 years.
The landmark judgement means that in future bodies such as the Northern Ireland Industrial Development Board will find it more difficult to vest land without holding a public local inquiry where objections have been lodged.
Outside the court Mr Cowan said "I am delighted the IDB can't come in and walk over you and say they want your land and you have to get out."
Mr Cowan told reporters the farm had been in his family since 1862, and if he had lost he would have had to move out as farming as the remaining 30 acres would not have been viable.
"Financial compensation would have been of no use as finding another farm for my herd of 120 dairy cows would have been impossible," he said.
The court's ruling was welcomed by Will Taylor, president of the Ulster Farmers Union, who said a fundamental principle concerning a person's right to make a living had been established.