Asking farmers to rewet their land is “absolutely criminal”, Danny Healy-Rae TD has warned.
He said farmers have “deep concern” about the rewetting targets being negotiated in Brussels, especially those in rural parts of Co Kerry, his constituency.
“The farmers whose lands people are talking about rewetting are the farmers who are working the hardest. They drained their land and were encouraged to do so to make it productive back in the 1960s, the early 1970s and through the 1980s.
“They were grant-aided to do that and they worked very hard to make their land productive,” he said.
The Independent TD was speaking in the Dáil on Tuesday night.
Livelihoods
Healy-Rae described it as “very hurtful” for farmers who hear “people in Government or advising Government, or whatever, saying that these lands should be rewetted in the name of biodiversity”.
“That will actually spell the end of their livelihoods if that goes through,” he argued.
On assurances from An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that rewetting will be voluntary for farmers, the Kerry TD said he has a “problem”.
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has made assurances that rewetting will be voluntary for farmers. \ Philip Doyle
“If a farmer in the middle of a flat low-lying place decides that he wants to flood or rewet his place, he will probably rewet his neighbours on one side of him or on both sides.
“You could have problems because of that. This is unfair because when you talk about rewetting, you are only talking about people on these low-lying lands,” he explained.
Custodians
Healy-Rae doubled down on his defence of farmers and suggested that they are the “custodians of the land”.
“They are proud of their places. They want to better them and hand them on to the next generation in better shape than they got them.
“They do not need to be dictated to by An Taisce, BirdWatch Ireland or any of these people about how to run or operate their farms. They value biodiversity more than anyone else,” he said.
Read more
Taoiseach of ‘strong view’ that rewetting be voluntary
Commission realises it ignored farmers on rewetting – Kelleher
EU puts money and greater flexibility on rewetting table
Asking farmers to rewet their land is “absolutely criminal”, Danny Healy-Rae TD has warned.
He said farmers have “deep concern” about the rewetting targets being negotiated in Brussels, especially those in rural parts of Co Kerry, his constituency.
“The farmers whose lands people are talking about rewetting are the farmers who are working the hardest. They drained their land and were encouraged to do so to make it productive back in the 1960s, the early 1970s and through the 1980s.
“They were grant-aided to do that and they worked very hard to make their land productive,” he said.
The Independent TD was speaking in the Dáil on Tuesday night.
Livelihoods
Healy-Rae described it as “very hurtful” for farmers who hear “people in Government or advising Government, or whatever, saying that these lands should be rewetted in the name of biodiversity”.
“That will actually spell the end of their livelihoods if that goes through,” he argued.
On assurances from An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that rewetting will be voluntary for farmers, the Kerry TD said he has a “problem”.
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has made assurances that rewetting will be voluntary for farmers. \ Philip Doyle
“If a farmer in the middle of a flat low-lying place decides that he wants to flood or rewet his place, he will probably rewet his neighbours on one side of him or on both sides.
“You could have problems because of that. This is unfair because when you talk about rewetting, you are only talking about people on these low-lying lands,” he explained.
Custodians
Healy-Rae doubled down on his defence of farmers and suggested that they are the “custodians of the land”.
“They are proud of their places. They want to better them and hand them on to the next generation in better shape than they got them.
“They do not need to be dictated to by An Taisce, BirdWatch Ireland or any of these people about how to run or operate their farms. They value biodiversity more than anyone else,” he said.
Read more
Taoiseach of ‘strong view’ that rewetting be voluntary
Commission realises it ignored farmers on rewetting – Kelleher
EU puts money and greater flexibility on rewetting table
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