The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has said that public lands must be used at every opportunity for greenway development.

The ICMSA met with Cork County Council in relation to proposed greenways within the county in recent days, with the chair of west Cork ICMSA, DJ Keohane, describing the engagement as “to the point” and “straight talking”.

Keohane said that trust had broken down between Cork County Council and landowners along the proposed routes to an extent that would make it difficult to repair.

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“Bluntly, we struggle to see how the proposed greenways can proceed. The trust between the landowners and the council has been badly damaged. I do believe they have learned lessons about how to work with farmers, but I fear it’s too late. I hope they listen to us and take our points on board,” the Timoleague farmer said.

Chair of the ICMSA farm business committee, Pat O’Brien, said that it was regrettable that the council had not engaged in ‘face-to-face’ dialogue with farmers on the greenways in the county.

O’Brien said that ICMSA is “always” opposed to the compulsory purchase of land for greenways because the association is convinced that greenways can be achieved through voluntary access and proper, on-farm and face-to-face consultation.