The number of walks covered by the Walks Scheme should be increased from 40 to 80, the IFA has said. It added that funding should also be doubled from €2m to €4m, as per the commitment in the Programme for Government.
In response, Minister Ring said that he “intends to initiate a comprehensive review of the scheme’s operation this year...to maximise the impact of the resources available. It is expected that this review will be completed before the end of the year.”
IFA president Joe Healy met with Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring last week to discuss a number of issues affecting rural Ireland and farmers including the Walks Scheme, CLÁR Programme and rural roads funding. In a meeting with Minister Ring, the IFA said that many projects developed by local communities and LEADER companies and are ready and waiting to become part of the Walks Scheme.
“The Walks Scheme has been of huge value to many areas, with more than 2,000 farmers currently benefiting from the scheme,” IFA president, Joe Healy said. “It has resulted in increased tourist numbers in peripheral areas and has generated strong economic return on a small investment.”
An insurance policy is held by the National Trails Office which indemnifies all landowners and occupiers whose property or land is crossed or adjoins a “recreational trail”, once that trail has been inspected and approved by the National Trails Office.
“The Department is seeking to build further on this provision through the development and implementation of a National Indemnity Scheme which would indemnify private landowners against claims from recreational users for injury or damage to property,” a spokesperson for the Department of Rural Affairs told the Irish Farmers Journal. “It is hoped that a scheme will be agreed in a number of pilot areas before the end of 2018.”
CLÁR programme
Meanwhile, IFA Hill Committee chair Flor McCarthy said that €23m/annum was pumped in to the CLÁR areas, but this figure is now €8m. The CLÁR programme provides funding for small-scale infrastructural projects in rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation. He added that support for the installation of three-phase electricity would be a step in the right direction and support for rural roads and broadband is also necessary.
The latest round of CLÁR funding has made €5m available for three measures.
“The objective is to build the amount of funding available under the programme over the coming years,” a spokesperson for the Department of Rural Affairs said. “The new Rural Regeneration and Development Fund announced in the National Development Plan will provide an additional €1bn for rural development over a 10-year period.”
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Project Ireland 2040 - €1bn for rural regeneration
The number of walks covered by the Walks Scheme should be increased from 40 to 80, the IFA has said. It added that funding should also be doubled from €2m to €4m, as per the commitment in the Programme for Government.
In response, Minister Ring said that he “intends to initiate a comprehensive review of the scheme’s operation this year...to maximise the impact of the resources available. It is expected that this review will be completed before the end of the year.”
IFA president Joe Healy met with Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring last week to discuss a number of issues affecting rural Ireland and farmers including the Walks Scheme, CLÁR Programme and rural roads funding. In a meeting with Minister Ring, the IFA said that many projects developed by local communities and LEADER companies and are ready and waiting to become part of the Walks Scheme.
“The Walks Scheme has been of huge value to many areas, with more than 2,000 farmers currently benefiting from the scheme,” IFA president, Joe Healy said. “It has resulted in increased tourist numbers in peripheral areas and has generated strong economic return on a small investment.”
An insurance policy is held by the National Trails Office which indemnifies all landowners and occupiers whose property or land is crossed or adjoins a “recreational trail”, once that trail has been inspected and approved by the National Trails Office.
“The Department is seeking to build further on this provision through the development and implementation of a National Indemnity Scheme which would indemnify private landowners against claims from recreational users for injury or damage to property,” a spokesperson for the Department of Rural Affairs told the Irish Farmers Journal. “It is hoped that a scheme will be agreed in a number of pilot areas before the end of 2018.”
CLÁR programme
Meanwhile, IFA Hill Committee chair Flor McCarthy said that €23m/annum was pumped in to the CLÁR areas, but this figure is now €8m. The CLÁR programme provides funding for small-scale infrastructural projects in rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation. He added that support for the installation of three-phase electricity would be a step in the right direction and support for rural roads and broadband is also necessary.
The latest round of CLÁR funding has made €5m available for three measures.
“The objective is to build the amount of funding available under the programme over the coming years,” a spokesperson for the Department of Rural Affairs said. “The new Rural Regeneration and Development Fund announced in the National Development Plan will provide an additional €1bn for rural development over a 10-year period.”
Read more
Project Ireland 2040 - €1bn for rural regeneration
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