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Save Our Community Cow Parks

category national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report author Tuesday November 21, 2006 15:04author by Mags - Westmeath Cowpark Users Group Report this post to the editors

Council plans to sell off public land

Recent developments in County Westmeath show the impact of 'Celtic Tiger' greed on the local authorities of the county, who have decided to sell off publicly owned land and evict small landless farmers from their traditional grazing.
angrybovinecol.jpg

For over 50 years Westmeath Co Council has administered a system of communal land renting on 'Cowparks'. There are 20 cowparks in the county, averaging 35 acres each. The Council rents this land to local landless labourers for the grazing of a few cows and calves. The land is mostly poor and is grazed by livestock belonging to 3 or 4 local families. This system was, and is, very important in providing a few hundred extra euros for low income families. The land itself was actually owned by the Land Commission, left over from the division of the large landlord estates. A few years back the lands were given in trust to the local authorities, free of charge, on the abolition of the Land Commission.

The Council has now decided to sell off this land to farmers, to sell sites or for (unspecified) 'community and sporting' activities.

The Council claims that there is no longer any need for provision for rented land for grazing use by families who have little land of their own. This runs contrary to the huge increase in part time farming, and the problem of farm land averaging 16,000 euros per acre. This makes it impossible for small farmers to buy land. Obviously the sale of Cowpark land will ONLY benefit large neighbouring farmers who can afford to buy up any land that becomes available. The tenants will have no option but to sell their livestock and go out of farming for good. Profit will have triumphed over people.

The most disturbing aspect of the Council's activity has been the arrogance of its officials towards the tenants. A Committee of Councillors was established to decide on the future of the cowparks. Not one tenant was asked for his/her views. Neither was the local
community in any area consulted. A report was produced by the County Manager and voted on by Councillors, the whole issue being agreed before the tenants became aware of the situation via the local press.

Westmeath Cowpark Users Group
The tenants of Cowparks in the county have now formed the 'Westmeath Cowpark Users Group' to ensure that the tenants have a collective voice in lobbying and protests against the Council's current policy of selling off the cowparks. A public petition seeking support has been organised.

WCUG stress that we are not opposed to the interests of 'the community', in fact we are part of the community. We argue that funds raised from cowpark rents should be channelled into local community or youth projects on an annual basis.

Such a policy would provide a long term income source for such groups and would ensure that the largest number in the community benefits from the income from public land.

WCUG would be particularly interested in making contact with from cow park tenants in other counties.

More information from Pat at 087 7542896

 #   Title   Author   Date 
   Good story     Deirdre Clancy    Tue Nov 21, 2006 19:04 
   Money may be the root of all evil but I'm afraid money talks.     Cowpoke    Tue Nov 21, 2006 19:05 
   All hail the developers and the council!     Anne    Tue Nov 21, 2006 19:25 
   Tradition should be preserved     jimmy    Tue Nov 21, 2006 21:48 
   What does that mean?     cowpoke    Wed Nov 22, 2006 12:46 
   Cowpoke     Dinny Fahey    Tue Nov 28, 2006 01:20 
   Cowpark Update - Public Meeting     Mags    Tue Nov 28, 2006 13:11 
   Celtic Tiger and living in a Concrete Jungle     Jacqueline Fallon    Wed Nov 29, 2006 13:30 
   Reply to Jackie     Mags    Sun Dec 03, 2006 14:52 
 10   Shameful Treatment of Cowpark Users by Council     Jacqueline Fallon    Sun Dec 03, 2006 23:58 
 11   WCUG     Mags    Tue Dec 05, 2006 14:10 
 12   Cowparks - info. on where to find Min. Smith's quote     Jacqueline Fallon    Tue Dec 05, 2006 20:47 
 13   Upcoming Events     Mags    Sun Dec 10, 2006 19:59 
 14   WCUG     Mags    Sun Dec 17, 2006 21:25 
 15   Stop the gombeens     Matt    Wed Dec 20, 2006 16:43 
 16   Update     Mags - again!    Thu Dec 21, 2006 18:22 
 17   Video discussion regarding WCUG     NIFC    Tue Dec 26, 2006 19:02 
 18   Theft     Digger    Tue Dec 26, 2006 19:17 
 19   Paddys Day Events     Mags    Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:53 


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