Offaly farmers voice their fears at Oireachtas briefing on bog rewetting

Independent TD for Laois Offaly Carol Nolan has welcomed the constructive and wide cross-party support she has received following an Oireachtas briefing she facilitated on behalf of The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA).

The aim of the briefing, that was attended by Minister of State Malcolm Noonan, was to highlight the ongoing concerns that farmers have with respect to the absence of any form of guarantees from Bord na Mona and other state agencies involved in the rewetting, and specifically that these agencies would “make good and repair any damage to neighbouring farms and communities caused by their rewetting of approx. 80,000 acres of land all throughout the region.”

Deputy Nolan went on to praise the ICMSA and the farmers who attended the briefing for their clear and oftentimes emotional contributions that articulated in no uncertain terms the anxiety that the issue is creating within rural communities:

“The entire objective of the ICMSA is to place special emphasis on preserving the family farm structure and defending the rights and incomes of farm families. That aligns exactly with my own priorities regarding the issues and the challenges around rewetting in Offaly and beyond,” said Deputy Nolan.

“I am not interested in sowing division on this matter, but I am very interested in highlighting the massive potential that rewetting of land has to severely undermine farm incomes and the capacity of the land to produce food for future generations, or even being available for future generations.”

“The briefing I organised was exceptionally well-attended from members from various political party’s along with a strong independent presence. This tells me that people are alert to the potential dangers for farmers who will be impacted. It is Offaly and the Midlands today, but it could well be every other county tomorrow or next year.”

“We must see movement on the written guarantee that is being requested and we must see progress on meaningful engagement with communities and farm families and not just a box-ticking consultation process,” Deputy Nolan concluded.