Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I am not a member of the committee, I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to speak here. I welcome my neighbours on the delegation, including those in the audiovisual room. I know full well that they have 101 other things to do rather than to be here before an Oireachtas committee. I know how strongly they feel about the issue given the huge amount of work they have done over the years to advance the case on land designation. Quite simply, land designation has wiped out the value of their land and stifled any development. There was mention earlier in the meeting of once-off houses. If one went into Cork County Council to seek planning on designated land on our side of the Cork-Kerry-Limerick border, they would nearly have the people in the white coats arrest one. They have stifled planning on designated land.

A number of issues arise. I note the €25 million scheme and the way points are scored to get the maximum benefit. Some of the criteria such as those on the breeding of the hen harrier are completely outside the landowner’s capacity to control or his or her responsibility. It is in the hands of nature to decide how much compensation a farmer will get from the scheme. It is completely ridiculous. If the land is designated by the EU for the protection of the hen harrier and if the EU is so concerned about that, those farmers whose lands have, in effect, been sterilised should be compensated accordingly. That has to underpin any scheme going forward. The witnesses have been looking at fair compensation for their contribution. I was not here at the earlier part of the meeting, but I followed it on the monitor and I heard the witnesses outlining the case on fair compensation.

There has been talk for the last year or two on the threat response for forestry. Where is that at currently? I have a parliamentary question down on it this week but we do not have any facts yet. These lands are very close to where I live. There are designated lands within half a mile. When land is for sale to which a hen harrier designation attaches, it simply takes up space in the auctioneer's window. There are no bids and no one will touch it with a barge pole because nothing can be done with it. I do not want to mention any farms, but where there are 120 acres or so for sale, there has not been even one bid over the past 12 months because so much of it is designated for the hen harrier.

That is what the witnesses have been saying since they set up their organisation a number of years ago. The designation has depressed the book value of their land to zero and they cannot do anything with it.

The witnesses put it to me outside that some people with the exact same designation can get wind turbine or afforestation development permissions but others cannot. That has to be answered by the arms of the State which are granting those permissions. The pitch must be fair for everybody. I could go on. Others have made very sound points. This is a crisis and an issue that must be dealt with to get a proper resolution for the witnesses because, if not, there will be huge land abandonment in north west Cork and parts of Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary. That will mean people will not be living in those areas. The witnesses are quite well aware of the position facing GAA clubs in their areas. They are either amalgamating or ceasing to exist. These are human issues. We are looking at an explosion of the population along the east coast. One could nearly draw a line from Mallow to the east and to the west. There is a different attitude on either side of it. This is part of the problem that has to be addressed.

Fair compensation must be paid. If the EU wants to designate the land, landowners must be compensated accordingly. GLAS and the hen harrier scheme depend on outside forces and it is nature that determines, even where a person joins a scheme, the maximum value a farmer can get. I thank the witnesses again and repeat that they are very welcome, as are their colleagues in the audiovisual room.