I welcome the opportunity to raise this important matter. In February 1997, the then Minister for Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Deputy Michael D. Higgins, introduced the EU Habitats Directive. The Government press release at that time stated that the regulations would allow for the definition and protection of approximately 400 proposed special areas of conservation, or SACs, occupying 550,000 hectares or some 5% of our land mass. The then Minister further stated that the regulations would not interfere with the practice of traditional farming in the areas concerned. He described all partners in the scheme as working together in a valuable national plan. He said landowners would be fairly compensated for any loss of income and would be advised of their entitlements.
Not alone was this promise not honoured by successive Governments but the sterilisation of farmers' land as SACs continues relentlessly. The current situation is that 11% of our land area is designated as SAC which, together with 3% designated as marine SACs, brings the total area sterilised by the Habitats Directive to 14%. In County Mayo, over 20% of the land area is designated as SAC, NHA, natural heritage area, or SPA, special protection area. At a public meeting organised by the IFA in Ballina, County Mayo last night, over 300 angry farmers demanded action from Government. The majority view from the meeting was that farmers feel totally let down by the system which has been in operation and the lack of credible and adequate compensation which they had been promised. They are so upset that they are now insisting that their land be de-designated, that the slate be wiped clean and that a fresh start be made.
People feel they have been robbed of their livelihood and their future. These sterilising statutes have effectively devalued the land, leaving the owners with a bitter taste in their mouths. An asset which was once considered valuable is now virtually worthless. Farmers have held their precious land, which has been defended courageously over the years and coloured by the blood of those who resisted the tyranny of land-grabbing English planters and the vile Black and Tans, dear to their hearts. They now feel totally betrayed at being routed from the very land where even Cromwell was prepared to leave them. What hurts most of all is that they believe they have been sold out by their own Government. This situation will do nothing for the population of an area which has been identified on the basis of census figures as the most economically deprived area in Ireland and where homo sapiens is now an endangered species. I sometimes wonder if we would be treated better if we were an animal species facing extinction.
The SAC scheme has not worked. The Government should clean the slate and start all over again. The huge resentment and loss of faith in Government on this issue is very real and palpable on the ground. How can people be blamed for feeling let down? They were told the designations would apply to 5% of the country, not 14%. They assumed that upland areas would be affected, not the right to build in lowland areas. They trusted that adequate compensation would be paid, but that did not happen. The proud inheritance for which generations in my area slaved and fought, intending it to be passed on to the next generation of farmers, is now worthless. What use is land if one cannot plant or drain it, let animals graze on it, build on it or enhance it in any way?
We are totally over-regulated. People can no longer engage freely in sea fishing or angling competitions. A small farmer will now be prevented from supplementing his income from the land by catching a few fish, while a large super-trawler will scour the entire coastal area within a few hours. Farmers are being forced to de-stock their few sheep because of a change in policy. Our youth are being deprived of their rightful inheritance. If our young people depart, what have we left? We will simply have one big national park, devoid of people. That is happening already. In one case of which I am aware, every inch of a farmer's 200 acres is designated. Consequently, he is prevented from giving even one site to his children. They now must go and live in a far-away urban centre, where they do not want to be and where there are already too many people, with all the problems that living in a place with too many people brings. What sort of logic is this? Give us back our future. De-designate SACs.
