Vincent Roddy has been re-elected as the president of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA) at the association’s annual general meeting (AGM) today (Thursday, July 6).
The AGM took place in Claremorris, Co. Mayo.
Roddy was elected to a new two-year term as the association’s president, after serving in the role since 2021 when he took over from Colm O’Donnell.
Speaking to Agriland at the AGM today, Roddy said that, as in recent months, the EU Nature Restoration Law, as well as land designations under the Natura 2000 network, will continue to be a strong focus both for himself and the INHFA generally.
“The main thing that everyone is looking at right now is the Nature Restoration Law and the ruling recently on the designations,” he said.
The ruling Roddy referred to was a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that Ireland failed to designate special areas of conservation (SAC) for important or endangered animal or plant species.
The court said that Irish legislation does “not satisfy” the specific obligations contained in the Habitats Directive, which requires that species and habitat types are maintained or restored, to a “favourable” conservation status.
Commenting on this, Roddy said: “For us, this issue of land designations under the Natura 2000 network, we’re going to have to look at how that plays out with regard to potential legal actions that could come from the ECJ ruling last week.”
The combined effect of that ruling, along with the Nature Restoration Law, will see farmers hampered in the farming activity that they can carry out, Roddy warned.
“Ultimately we talk about schemes, and we talk about whether farmers can get access to ACRES [Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme] and all of that, but unless you have access and full control of your land… All of that is conditional on having full control of your land,” the INHFA president commented.
“So the Nature Restoration Law and the designations, and what impact that is going to have on farmers and what they are going to be required to do on their land, are going to be essential here,” he said.