Save Our Community Cow Parks

national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Tuesday November 21, 2006 15:04 by Mags - Westmeath Cowpark Users Group

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.

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