THE Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Mr Higgins, has been berated by farmers for his role in introducing an EU Directive on conservation areas.
At an IFA meeting attended by some 600 farmers in Westport, Co Mayo, earlier this week, the Minister was criticised for his role in introducing the EU Natural Habitats Directive. Under the directive, the newly designated Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are to be assigned to environmentally sensitive farming and bog-land, primarily along the western seaboard and on the islands off Ireland.
Most of the SACs will be applied to areas that have already been designated natural heritage areas (NHA) under the EU directive. In effect, the new SAC designation will remove control of land from farmers who will in fact have to apply to the EU if they wish to engage in any farming activity. Primarily of interest to the EU is that the land and environment of the SACs be preserved in their natural habitat.
"In the first place, farmers are not being consulted about their land being designated as SAC. There has been no discussion on compensation for farmers and no details of the restrictions to be imposed on farming practices or appeal structures against the designation have been released," said Mr Michael Holmes, national chairman of the IFA Sheep Committee.
"We will ensure this legislation is challenged every step of the way. The farmers of Ireland will get a satisfactory agreement on the whole issue of NHAs before any Bill goes before the Dail," the IFA deputy president, Mr Michael Slattery, said.
At the heated IFA meeting, not only did farmers express their disdain that the issue did not lie within the rem it of the Department of Agriculture, but they also condemned the dearth of information being issued to farmers from Mr Higgins' office.
Since the introduction of NHAs, farmers claim they are experiencing difficulty in securing planning permission and claim their land has been devalued.
At the heated IFA meeting, not only did farmers express their disdain that the issue did not lie within the remit of the Department of Agriculture, but they also condemned the dearth of information being issued to farmers from Mr Higgins' office.
In the Dail fast week, Mr Higgins announced that he expected to sign the necessary papers to legislate for SACs before the end of the month. Farmers now believe they have two weeks in which to lobby the Government on a campaign which they described as "the most serious issue ever to hit the farming community".
It is quite appropriate that this new legislation is being introduced under the Natural Habitats Directive because it really will be a wildlife Bill when there is no human life left on this land," said one Connemara farmer.
"It really frightens me to think that all of the land I look at in Connemara is going to belong to `boots and suits' in the EU if this legislation goes ahead unchallenged," he said.
NHAs are expected to affect 5,000 farmers in Ireland and 7 per cent of the total land surface.
This week's meeting was also attended by a large number of Mayo politicians, including Mr Michael Ring TD (FG), Mr Seamus Hughes (FF), Dr Tom Moffat (FF) and Mr P.J. Morley TD (FF). Mayo county councillors, all of whom pledged their support to farmers on the issue, attended the meeting.