Seán Mac Connell,
Agriculture Correspondent
Proposals which could help end tensions between walkers and landowners will be presented to the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Eamon Ó Cúiv, at the next meeting of a special group to address the issue.
The group representing farming and sporting interests grew out of a Rural/Agri-Tourism Strategy Group set up by the Minister last year to promote rural tourism.
The recommendations are likely to include a proposal to establish a National Rural Recreation Council on the lines of a similar organisation in Northern Ireland. It will become a forum for those who have complaints or ideas to develop hillwalking which has been on the decline in Ireland because of problems over access to lands.
The legal and other problems facing landowners and walkers have been discussed by the group over three meetings last year. Recommendations are expected to come from the fourth meeting to be held on January 23rd.
The group has representation from the farming organisations, Bord Fáilte and sporting organisations representing walkers, cyclists and mountaineers.
The main stumbling block to progress has been the withdrawal of money paid to farmers who were involved in facilitating newly-created walks in the 1990s to stimulate rural tourism. Some of these were closed when the second Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) dropped the payment for access to lands on important walks like the River Suck Walk, the Miner's Walk, the Sheeps Head Walk and the Beara Way walks.
The IFA has been insisting that these payments be restored in the REPS 3 programme or that farmers in these areas be given tax breaks for facilitating them.
IFA has said that it is in favour of recreational use of lands but that those using lands should seek permission to do so and that this is seldom refused. It has circulated a code of conduct for walkers.
Meanwhile, the president of the Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers Association, Mr Malcolm Thompson, has warned walkers not to misinterpret the imprisonment of Andy MacSharry in Sligo yesterday for non-payment of a fine.
"The judgment to arrest Andy MacSharry for failing to pay a land protest fine does not in any way give members of the public rights of access to lands not owned by them," he said. A farm was a place of business, not a playground.