DEAR SIR: I wrote to the Irish Farmers Journal recently, expressing my outrage at Element Power’s proposed industrial wind farm in Co Meath and my anger at the farmers who have signed contracts with this company to allow industrial windmills to be erected on their land. My outrage at Element Power’s proposed wilful destruction of our countryside, tourism, etc, still exists, but my anger with the host farmers has since turned to pity.
Having viewed Element Power’s planning application, it’s very obvious that whole farms are included and not just an acre here and there in the corner of a field. I would urge these farmers to make the following four phone calls over the next week:
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Ring the Revenue Commissioners. Tell them what you are proposing to do with the industrial windmills and ask them if the 90% agricultural relief on a transfer to a son or daughter still applies to your farm now that it is part of an industrial estate. Secondly, ask them what rate of income tax will have to be paid on the proposed income from Element Power.
Ring the Department of Agriculture. Again, tell them what you are proposing to do and ask them if the whole farm is included as an industrial estate and whether you will still be eligible for the Single Farm Payment or any future grants or payments that may be introduced for farmers in the next 25 years.
Ring your solicitor, after sending a copy of your option agreement and contract, and ask him/her if you were to die tomorrow, could the farm, or even a site, be transferred to your next of kin or is the whole folio in legal limbo until if and when the industrial windmills are erected. The option agreements are normally for a period of five years and some of them can, at the power company’s discretion, be extended to 10 years. A lot can happen in a person’s life within 10 years.
Ring your insurance company and ask them to examine closely the indemnity clause on your option agreement and contract. Make sure you are personally covered should, for example, a community institute an action against a host farmer for devaluation of their properties.
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Edward Kenny, Co Meath
DEAR SIR: I wrote to the Irish Farmers Journal recently, expressing my outrage at Element Power’s proposed industrial wind farm in Co Meath and my anger at the farmers who have signed contracts with this company to allow industrial windmills to be erected on their land. My outrage at Element Power’s proposed wilful destruction of our countryside, tourism, etc, still exists, but my anger with the host farmers has since turned to pity.
Having viewed Element Power’s planning application, it’s very obvious that whole farms are included and not just an acre here and there in the corner of a field. I would urge these farmers to make the following four phone calls over the next week:
Ring the Revenue Commissioners. Tell them what you are proposing to do with the industrial windmills and ask them if the 90% agricultural relief on a transfer to a son or daughter still applies to your farm now that it is part of an industrial estate. Secondly, ask them what rate of income tax will have to be paid on the proposed income from Element Power.
Ring the Department of Agriculture. Again, tell them what you are proposing to do and ask them if the whole farm is included as an industrial estate and whether you will still be eligible for the Single Farm Payment or any future grants or payments that may be introduced for farmers in the next 25 years.
Ring your solicitor, after sending a copy of your option agreement and contract, and ask him/her if you were to die tomorrow, could the farm, or even a site, be transferred to your next of kin or is the whole folio in legal limbo until if and when the industrial windmills are erected. The option agreements are normally for a period of five years and some of them can, at the power company’s discretion, be extended to 10 years. A lot can happen in a person’s life within 10 years.
Ring your insurance company and ask them to examine closely the indemnity clause on your option agreement and contract. Make sure you are personally covered should, for example, a community institute an action against a host farmer for devaluation of their properties.
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