Using CPOs for National Parks Would be an Abuse of Power

IFA President Tim Cullinan said comments by Eamon Ryan that he would not rule out the compulsory purchase of lands for National Parks were inflammatory and delusional.

“It is bad enough that Eamon Ryan wants to use State funds to encourage the rewilding of land to take it out of production, but now he wants use the powers of the State to confiscate land from private citizens,” he said.

“Using Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) in this way would be an abuse of power and highly questionable from a legal perspective,” he said.

“I want to make it clear that IFA will use every possible avenue to stop such a move.”

“Just because Eamon Ryan is a Government Minister doesn’t mean he ‘owns the country’. We have a constitution and every citizen has rights that cannot just be taken away by Eamon Ryan or any other citizen,” he said.