Mr. Jason Fitzgerald:

Irish Farmers with Designated Lands, IFDL, is a group representing farmers in regions within Ireland affected by the designation of lands for the hen harrier special protection area, SPA. The total land area affected by this designation is 169,000 hectares which affects more than 4,400 farmers. The aim of IFDL is to restore the value of designated land to the same value as neighbouring non-designated land and that of similar type land elsewhere and an equal payment on every designated hectare to be paid to farmers. We have attended several meetings throughout the regions affected by the designation. At these meetings, farmers have expressed their real concerns at the realisation that their land value has been completely decimated. We have very solid examples of financial stress that this designation has put on farmers within these regions. Prospective buyers have indicated that it was too risky to purchase lands designated for hen harrier SPA. Some farmers, wanting to sell their lands, could not get a bid. The main reasons for the devaluation include the suspension of the national parks and wildlife hen harrier farm plan scheme, which means that farmers who own land affected by the designation were not compensated. This will result in farmers abandoning some of these lands and moving from these communities.

At meetings we have attended in the past two months at which this issue was discussed and considered, it was very clear that communities are devastated by the realisation that the value of their land has disappeared. A resolution which is satisfactory to the farmers who own land in these regions must be found.

There is now a general blanket ban on the planting of trees for forestation purposes in hen harrier SPA regions. There is also a restriction on forestry planting on lands adjoining these regions. The 2010 hen harrier survey indicates that the hen harrier population decreased by 18% in SPA designated areas. This led to the ban on afforestation being introduced, despite the fact that the national population appears to be stable.

Farmers are being fined in respect of their single farm payments as a result of the fact that their SPA designated land does not qualify under the good agricultural and environmental condition, GAEC, criteria. In 2007, farmers with land in these regions were offered compensation through the National Parks and Wildlife Service. This amounted to compensation of €350 per hectare for the first 40 hectares, €25 per hectare for land between 41 to 120 hectares and €5 per hectare thereafter. At that time, farmers in the main accepted this compensation on the understanding that new afforestation would generally be permitted on these lands. However, this has not proven to be the case and the compensation to which I refer would not be adequate to compensate farmers who own land with the SPA hen harrier designation.

In the context of resolutions, a proper level of compensation must be put in place and this must be guaranteed to remain in effect during the designation period. The amount of compensation should be reviewed every five years. The payment must be made on every designated hectare in view of the fact that every hectare is devalued and affected by the designation. All farmers with designated land must be exempt from GAEC criteria when claiming their single farm payments. Afforestation must be reintroduced and restrictions on non-designated land adjoining SPA hen harrier regions should be removed. Non-intensive viable farming needs to be central to the formation of a new hen harrier scheme, which needs to be flexible, workable and reasonable.

Until such time as the Commission decides on a mechanism to remove land from designation, farmers must be compensated adequately. A long-term, viable scheme must be put in place to ensure that farming in these regions is as viable as forestry. Our aim is to protect the value of the lands which are designated for the protection of the hen harrier.