Farmers’ Concerns Must Be Listened to and Addressed at Eirgrid’s North-south Oral Hearing – IFA

IFA Environment and Rural Affairs Chairman Thomas Cooney has said that An Bord Pleanála must ensure that landowners’ genuine concerns, including their call for the undergrounding of the proposed North-South 400kV project, must be heard and fully addressed in the current oral hearing for the project.

Having attended the oral hearing in Monaghan recently, Mr. Cooney said, “Farmers and their families continue to raise real and practical concerns at the hearing. These include issues such as the impact the proposed project will have on farming practices, the significant level of disturbance likely to take place during construction, health concerns, the impact on the operation on farm machinery, and the overall view that the best option for the project is for it to go underground.”

He added, “It is not adequate for the issues raised just to be heard, they must be acted upon. The An Bord Pleanála Inspector who is running the hearing has a real obligation to understand and fully address each of the concerns raised.”