This is a subscriber-only article
Concerns have been raised by Government ministers on the potential impact newly proposed legislation on quads and scramblers could have on farmers.
Fianna Fáil have proposed a bill which would establish a national database of quads and give Gardaí the power to confiscate all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) being used in a dangerous way in public.
Minister for Transport Shane Ross said there would be an additional burden of cost and administration on the farming community in a Dáil debate about the new legislation on 8 May
Minister of State Sean Canney echoed Minister Ross’s position saying a database would put a burden on farmers, particularly where many quads were used exclusively on private land.
Database
However Fianna Fáil rejected suggestions that the bill would have negative effects on farmers. The bill’s author John Lahart said much of it was not applicable to those using quads in a safe manner.
Lahart said: “As it stands, quad bikes are already supposed to be taxed and insured on public roads, so this does not create any new requirement for legitimate users. Nor does the bill create any new requirements for quad and scrambler bikes that are used solely on private property such as farms.”
Fianna Fáil did not believe it to be overly onerous for farmers to register their ATV with a national database and Lahart added that it could prove useful in tracing stolen quads.
SHARING OPTIONS: