Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The reality is that the burden is already on those properties. They have been devalued and the Department is not prepared to offer compensation. The Minister justifies this policy by claiming that farmers can avail of the GLAS scheme as a form of compensation. I know of one farmer in County Roscommon who has a turlough on his land which has been designated as a special protection area. If he wants to go into the GLAS scheme he must give up intensive farming as a sheep farmer because one third of his farm will be sterilised for six months of the year under the conditions set out under the scheme. The reality for a considerable number of farmers in designated areas is that it is not feasible to go into GLAS but the Department has not offered a compensation scheme since 2010. Given that the Minister has in practice imposed a burden on these lands by introducing legislation to impose a legal burden at the stroke at a pen, will she deliver on the compensation to which these farmers are entitled?

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