BY TOMMY NETHERY
PROPERTY developers are being allowed to desecrate the landscape and damage the environment without fear of prosecution by the authorities.
That's the claim being made by a number of angry farmers, who themselves are required under Good Farming Practice to adhere to stringent new environmental standards to draw down their Single Farm Payment.
Farmers in the townland of Killadroy, approximately four miles on the Ballygawley side of Omagh, have been up in arms in recent days that a property developer has been allowed to uproot and transplant mature trees, destroy any habitats and to manufacture the landscape with heavy excavation plant in a bid to prepare ground for building sites.
Local councillor Bert Wilson has been inundated with calls from neighbouring farmers who are angry that this apparent destruction of the countryside is being allowed to take place at a time when they are not permitted to alter the landscape without prior permission from the authorities.
"These farmers are extremely angry to say the least," said Cllr Wilson.
"My telephone has been red hot over recent days.
"This speculator purchased the farm in question approximately two years ago. This time last year he had a digger on site ripping up trees from an area DARD would consider a wildlife habitat in a bid to prepare the way for a planning application to build four two-story dwellings. In the past four or five days the digger is back on site causing further environmental damage and it seems from my representations to a number of agencies that this work is allowed to be carried out without any requirement to contact any of the authorities. And there is sod all anyone can do to stop this destruction.
"I have contacted the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), the Environmental and Heritage Service, Planning Service and environmental officers both at Council level and with the PSNI. No-one seems to have any knowledge of the goings on, nor do they want to know. And it appears that no-one has any power to stop it or prosecute.
"It seems that I would have to physically go onto the land find say for example a bird's nest and prove that habitats are being destroyed."
Mr Wilson insists that there is no particular grudge with the developer just frustration that these farmers have to adhere to stringent new environmental legislation while property developers and the like appear to be above the law.
At the March monthly meeting of the Mid Tyrone UFU Group, Mr Wilson produced photographic evidence of the alleged destruction being caused and was told by officials from DARD that unless the owner was drawing down subsidy payment they had no authority to act.
At the same meeting the speakers from DARD were outlining to farmers strict cross compliance measures (environmental standards) that were required to protect wildlife and the environment.
Farmers are not allowed to remove any field boundaries without first seeking written permission from DARD, which has the authority to refuse such a request, while the trimming of hedgerows in not permitted between March 1 and August 31 to protect habitats for birds and wildlife.
"It appears there is one law for farmers and none for anyone else. At this time of the year the farmer can't even cut the branch of a hedge without fear of being penalised while property developers appear to have a free reign to do whatever they so wish.
"While it creates an extra burden, farmers realise that they have to take on board new environmental measures but if government are serious about protecting the environment its time there was a level playing field. "
