The national president of the Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) Pheilim Molloy has called on the State “to immediately cease all plans associated with the purchase of hill lands, which is currently being driven through the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).”
This policy is Molloy maintained “taking large areas of land out of agriculture use while also undermining the ability of young farmers to access land. At a time when there is growing concern around the number of young farmers entering the industry, it is galling to see these farmers blocked from entering the industry by a State Body with massive resources” added the farm leader.
Over the last year we have Molloy stated “seen the State, through the NPWS actively engage in the purchasing of land and with an increased budget allocation of 27% for capital investments for national parks and nature reserves, there a growing concern that this activity will increase,”
While the ongoing accumulation of land by the NPWS is seen by some as a positive in protecting nature, the INHFA president has a different view. The absence of farming activity from our national parks has he stated “undermined habitat conservation leading to biodiversity loss.”
For centuries local families were, he stressed, “the boots on the ground protecting these unique habitats through conservation grazing, essential for the habitats and its wildlife.”
Currently many of our national parks are, he added, “not in a great place, with invasive species such as rhododendron spreading, increasing habitat loss and a deer population that is out of control and spreading throughout the country.”
The INHFA leader stated “Its time the NPWS spend the additional resources in getting their own house in order, address the many concerns inside the existing national parks, comply with the EU invasive species regulation 2024 and target resources to dealing with the growing deer population who are also carriers of TB and tick-borne diseases.”
Concluding the INHFA leader reiterated his call for the State and NPWS to abandon all plans to purchase additional lands thus ensuring those young farmers that want to come into the industry have a route to do so,”