Farmers along the proposed Cork-Limerick route face significant upheaval and need certainty regarding compensation and the project timeframe, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) environment chair, Paul O’ Brien has said.
He commented in response to the preferred route for the Cork-Limerick motorway, which was recently announced by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Limerick County Council.
The proposed motorway route would take highly productive agricultural area, and road development would have a serious impact on farmers, according to O’ Brien. He explained:
“Farmers and landowners in the area are operating under an unacceptable cloud of uncertainty since the road development was first mooted in the late 1990s – almost 25 years ago.”
O’ Brien added that this has held up farmers in terms of developing their farm and business, and took the best years away from some farmers along the route.
The Cork-Limerick motorway project has been turned on and off by politicians and developers many times, according to the IFA environment chair:
“Farmers were left living under a sterilised planning freeze where they were prevented from undertaking developments on their farms. This is a major restriction to impose for a long period of time in a very productive and progressive farming area.”
O’ Brien called on the County Councils in Cork and Limerick to immediately advance planning permissions for farmers who are not on the preferred route, as delays in farmyard and enterprise development have had a costly impact on some farmers in the area.
Early and intensive consultation with all landowners impacted by the preferred route is essential, he said, as well as a full and fair compensation for all affected farmers and landowners.
This must also include a new and improved good-will payment for early access and co-operation with the project, O’ Brien added.
On behalf of farmers, the IFA will be engaging with project developers to ensure that farmers and landowners are treated equitably and fairly, as well as being fully compensated for all losses.