Legislation on Indemnification of Landowners Must Be Passed Without Delay – IFA

IFA National Hill Committee Chairman Flor McCarthy has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Rural Affairs Michael Ring that he will bring in legislation that will indemnify landowners in the event of hillwalkers having an accident and making a claim.

Flor McCarthy said this issue has always been of great concern to landowners, particularly the cost involved in defending any case that could arise.

“The Minister has pledged to have this in place in 2019 & we would be hopeful that his bill gets cross-party support.”

The Hill Committee Chairman also welcomed the plan to double the number of farmers in the Walks Scheme.

He said the scheme has proved very attractive in creating walkways around the country and the additional €2m in funding will add to the network, and will bring another two thousand farmers into the scheme.