The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president has said that there is "a lot of concern" among farmers about the proposed Dundalk to Carlingford Greenway project.

Francie Gorman was speaking following a visit to the Cooley Peninsula where he met with local farmers on the ground.

“With a decision due, farmers in Cooley are worried that their farms may be severed, or even worse, have their lands subject to a Compulsory Purchase Order. (CPO),” he said.

Greenway

Gorman said that IFA is "totally opposed to the use of CPOs for greenways and also opposed to the severance of farms for such projects".

The IFA president believes that it is "very clear Louth County Council does not have the support of the local community for such measures".

"The government strategy is clear: ‘the preferred model for future Greenways is to use lands already in undisputed ownership or control of the State’.

"This strategy is not being followed by Louth County Council or the greenway consultants as they have already said there are no public lands on the route corridor options they are considering," he added.

Francie Gorman agreed with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who recently told the Dáil that once a project enters the CPO process, “you are in trouble in terms of any greenway”.

CPO

Louth IFA chair Kevin Sweeney said that Louth County Council should "take a step back and drop their plans for a greenway on predominantly private lands that will rip through the heart of the Cooley Peninsula".

He thinks the council is putting at risk the positive relationship developed between landowners and walkers on permissive access to mountain walks in the area over many years.

"There are serious questions to be answered about the spending of taxpayers’ money on a project that is not in line with government strategy and does not have the support of the community,” he said.

Francie Gorman said the IFA will fully support Louth IFA on the issue and stand with the farmers of Cooley in their opposition to CPOs and the severance of farms.