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Irish Times
By Paul Anderson Last updated: 30-11-01, 16:46
December 1st 2001
Hopes of a breakthrough in the dispute between farmers and the Department of Environment over the compulsory
purchase of land for road building have suffered a set-back after the State’s second largest farmers organisation rejected
a new deal.
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) have described a proposal being endorsed by the larger Irish
Farmers Association (IFA) as "inadequate and incomplete".
Following a meeting between the Department of the Environment and the ICMSA, Mr Pat O’Rourke, the associations’
president said he could not recommend the proposals but said his organisation was still willing to negotiate.
"No farmer should be asked to give up his property on foot of an inadequate and incomplete deal," Mr O’Rourke said.
The news follows the IFA’s decision earlier this week to recommend the deal to around 8,000 farmers affected by
Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) on land to be used in road development schemes.
The IFA's industrial committee are meeting today to consider the proposal but deputy president of the IFA Mr John
Dillon has called for changes to the draft deal.
He said the deal should allow for back-dating the new payments to include farmers who had recently agreed to CPOs.
The National Roads Authority (NRA), who are responsible for the road building programme must also ratify the deal.
Copyright © Irish
Times 2001
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