An environmental group founded in Tipperary stage protest at Coolmore acquired farm

More than 70 protestors attended a Hedgerows Ireland demonstration at Parkville farm outside Clonmel on Thursday evening.

The demonstration related to Parkville farm, a 65-acre family holding sold to Coolmore in March of this year for in excess of €38,000  per acre. 

The crowd was composed of a mixture of local residents who are opposed to Coolmore’s application to Tipperary County Council to demolish a farm complex on the Parkville farm -  and Tipperary farmers who are frustrated in their attempts to compete for the purchase of such properties.

A spokesperson for Coolmore pointed to a notice that has been erected at the Parkville site by Coolmore.

The notice states that the owner has applied for demolition on health and safety grounds. The notice further explains that the  lands contain a derelict yard of rubble stone construction. After decades of serious neglect, it was heavily overgrown and crumbling and was now a serious health and safety concern, the notice states.

The notice stated that the roof of three structures had fallen in. A large void dug under the floor of the derelict dwelling has undermined its floor. Walls have numerous and substantial cracks. The bulging of walls was deemed severe by engineers and recent trespass highlighted the tangible risk of injury to the public.

The Hedgerows Ireland protest was also held to demand that Coolmore immediately cease their practice of removing all trees, hedgerows, and other landscape features from land they acquire for their tillage operation. The hedgerows and trees in Parkville are 200-years-old and a biodiversity haven for owls and other birds and mammals including badgers.

Alan Moore spoke on behalf of Hedgerows Ireland, John Hurley the dairy farmer spoke and Daniel Long, a local dairy farmer and journalist, spoke passionately about the need for a State intervention to curb rampant land acquisition.

Alan Moore told the people who attended the protest that Hedgerows Ireland was a Tipperary-based group whose main purpose was to seek better farm payments for hedgerows and to get better recognition for the many services they provide including flood control carbon storage and the protection of precious wildlife.

New members welcome to Tipperary famliy carers choir

Clonmel branch of Family Carers Ireland

INTERNAL HEDGES

He told demonstrators that the event was held to protest about Coolmore’s practice of removing all the internal hedges from farms they buy in the area for tillage.

“This is a terrible way to treat the land. Even the most progressive grain farmers realise the value of leaving some hedges and ditches in preventing soil erosion, flooding, drought and shelter and shade. This is short-term gouging of the land for maximum profit and to hell with the next generations. To hell with wildlife,” said Alan Moore.

He said that hedges have been removed in a multiple of farms bought by Coolmore in the Clonmel and Thurles areas.

Alan Moore said that a new replacement beech hedge on a stud farm somewhere, even if it was actually planted, would  not replace 200 years of native Irish hedgerow.

 Alan Moore said the group were very concerned about the future of the Parkville farm. 

“There are hedgerows and ditches faced with stone dating back 200 years, mature trees, a lime kiln, a duck pond. This is a wildlife haven on the edge of a big town. The farm has been making a living for John Hurley and his family for the last 50 years working alongside nature,”  he said.

 He told those present that the protest was also held  to protest at the buying up of land by billionaire investors like John Magnier who are buying every field and paddock that comes on the market.

“Nobody can compete. This farm went for over €38,000 an acre. There were 47 bids. They never stood a chance. And it’s not just Mr Magnier. This is a growing trend. They are not farmers. This needs control. Special thanks to John Hurley for starting this all off.  He is standing up for all of us to say ‘enough is enough Mr Magnier, leave Parkville farm alone,” said Alan Moore.

Daniel Long  spoke of the impossibility of small and medium-sized farmers expanding to buy land. He said that the increasing trend of billionaire investors  was part of a worldwide problem.  

He said that he has started a group calling for the Government to set up a Land Observatory modeled on a system in France called SAFER whereby there would be a monitoring of land sales and an option for local farmers with Government support to buy land. He said that this is now enshrined in EU policy and should be adopted in Ireland.