Madam, - I am neither a farmer nor a walker, but I notice that this is the season for the free-access lobby to return to action.
Guests in hotels are barred from all service areas. No industrialist would allow the public to walk unescorted through his premises. The city dweller's garden is strictly private with no entry for any intruders. These are just three examples of generally accepted restricted access.
Farming today is a highly skilled business, with strict controls on farming practice. Production costs are very high, and profit margins minimal. In 2002 many potato growers threatened to pull out of the business because of this. Produce is subject to a quota system so that most farmers cannot achieve the full potential of their land, and are forced to use off-farm work, and to rely on various grants for survival. At the same time, it is in our national interest, and especially that of the walkers, that farming continues. Land that is not worked becomes impassable because of briars and scrub.
All farms are places of highly intensive business, and it is unjust that farmers alone should be expected to waive those rights to privacy which are the norm in other areas. Nearly all walkers are city dwellers, unfamiliar with the details of farming practice, who can unwittingly do untold damage. It is impractical for farmers to provide fenced walkways through their land.
Those who want to walk are certainly entitled to do so, but walking should be confined to commonage, with access restricted to clearly defined and limited routes. - Yours, etc.,
PETER A. GREHAN, Caherdaniel, Killarney, Co Kerry.