The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has met with Cork and Waterford County Councils to outline “serious farmer concerns” over the proposed Mallow-Dungarvan Greenway.

The preferred route for the 74km walk and cycleway has been identified as the defunct railway line which runs between the two towns.

The greenway will link the towns and villages of Cappoquin; Lismore; Ballyduff; Clondulane; Fermoy; Ballyhooly; and Killavullen.

Concerns

However, as previously reported by Agriland, farmers have raised serious concerns about the potential impact of greenways.

This includes the impact on their farming practices; land devaluation; access to livestock; machinery crossings; animal diseases; anti-social behaviour; a lack of privacy; and the impact on wildlife.

An IFA delegation led by IFA North Cork chair, Pat O’Keeffe and IFA Waterford chair, John Heffernan recently met with with senior executives from Cork and Waterford County Councils to discuss the proposed Dungarvan to Mallow Greenway project.

“IFA made it abundantly clear to both county councils that the current proposed greenway will sever and divide most of the farms along the route and this is totally unacceptable.

“Severance and division of farms will not work and must be reviewed by the councils,” O’Keeffe said.

Greenway

The IFA said that it emerged during the meeting that the project would comprise 88% private, active farmland and 12% public lands.

“Farmers now own and use most of the land where the abandoned railway line existed. It’s part of their farm and in many cases includes private houses and farmyards,” O’Keeffe added.

John Heffernan claimed that the local authorities and the project promoters “did not initially realise that the old abandoned railway line is long gone and this land is now active farmland in private ownership”.

He said this makes the preferred route “totally unsuitable for a greenway”.

The IFA outlined to the local authorities that it is opposed to any severance of farms or Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) for amenity projects such as greenways.

The Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenways developed with the government states that severance must be avoided and voluntary land purchase agreements must take precedence over CPOs.

IFA

The IFA described the meeting with the council representatives as “very useful” as they provided the project team with “an in-depth outline of the fears and concerns of farmers”.

The association said that the councils indicated that “they will have to take these concerns on board and reassess”.

Up to 250 farmers attended two public meetings recently organised by the IFA in Fermoy and Ballyduff.

“There was real anger and frustration expressed at these meetings over the lack of proper consultation and engagement, and the failure to understand and appreciate the impact of a greenway severing or dividing active farms,” O’Keeffe said.

He said full and proper consultation with farmers is critical and he invited both county councils to attend future IFA public meetings on the project.