Sir, - As someone who worked very hard to ensure that the 1995 Occupiers Liability legislation would greatly reduce the responsibility of farmers to entrants on their land, I am astonished that Mr Murphy, general secretary of the ICMSA, in his letter of October 9th (which I have, unfortunately, only just seen) considers that his duties towards "recreational users" (which is what all this correspondence is about) are "still . . . very high."
The new Act is very clear. The only duties a farmer owes to recreational users or trespassers are (my italics): (a) not to injure the person or damage the property of the person intentionally, and (b) not to act with reckless disregard for the person or property of the person.
I can only imagine that Mr Murphy has misunderstood the terms of the Act. I can assure him that any walker whom I have talked to is quite content to be responsible for his or her own safety. Yours, etc.,
Ardilea Estate,
Dublin 14.