Farmers urge for public lands to be utilised for greenways 'wherever possible'
Farmers have urged for greenways to utilise public lands "wherever possible".
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) has said that councils and responsible agencies planning greenways should utilise public lands and avoid compulsary purchase orders (CPOs) of private lands.
ICMSA farm business chairperson, Pat O'Brien said: "ICMSA is not opposed to greenways in principle, but we strongly oppose the use of CPOs to acquire farmland for their development.
"We don’t like the guillotine nature of CPOs, and we have come across cases where these CPOs undermined the long-term viability of a farm.
"Far too often, the CPO tactic is being used when even minor adjustments to the planning route would avoid the need for CPOs and the resultant tension with the farmers whose lands is now unceremoniously subject to a CPO."
Code of practice
O’Brien said that ICMSA had engaged with the work designed to draft a code of practice intended to act as a guide to interactions between greenway developers and farmers.
“We did engage with that and obviously there had to be some reference to CPOs because they are a legal option," O'Brien continued.
"But it’s been obvious for some time now, that the planners don’t regard these CPOs as a last option where they can’t utilise public lands for the greenways."
O'Brien said this is happening "to such an extent that ICMSA now believes that we will have to remove the CPO option from planned greenway developments".
Expansion
O’Brien also questioned the "overall necessity of a large expansion" of greenways.
"You can travel from Malin Head to Mizen Head in just over eight hours and from Dublin to Galway in about four hours. Ireland is a small country," he continued.
"Do we really need to fill it with greenways? Many sports clubs already provide walking tracks, and many people enjoy walking and cycling on our country roads already.
"It is a genuine question whether we need disruptive purpose-built greenways when there are innumerable walking and cycling options there already."
The farm business chairperson added that greenways are "eating up €60 million every year now" and said "it’s legitimate to ask whether there are other better uses for that kind of substantial sum".
