Pheilim Molloy, the National President of INHFA has said the new CAP shareout of funding must address the anomalies created thirty years ago when designations imposed by a EU framework had a negative impact on more than half a million acres of farming land. He said the restrictions continue to hit 35,000 landowners in areas of conservation and protection who have had to face mandatory land-use restrictions and they have been left with substantial losses. Applicants seeking planning permission in these locations have complained about the complexities of these regulations that have added to the cost of housing construction - the demand for environmental impact statements and form filling. The INHFA says these designations and their negative impositions have been damaging for many rural dwellers. The farm lobby group is now calling for funding under the new CAP programme for those who’ve lost out to these regulations. Farmers with SACs and nature designations are primarily compensated through voluntary, results-based agri-environmental schemes rather than direct statutory compensation.
