Farmers Right To Object To Cycleway

With regard to the withdrawl of funding for the sections of the national cycle greenway for the Roscommon and Galway areas because of objections from landowners, I fully support the stance being taken by farmers and landowners in this case. There were three alternative routes available for this initiative in the Galway-Roscommon area, mostly on state owned lands, and they were not availed of for some reason. Tourism initiatives like this one are welcome but farmers are entitled to object if they think that they will lose land or that their business will be disrupted. There are also considerations which must be given to animal disease control, security and trespass. There may also be concerns with regard to farmers applying for planning permission of family farmland close to any cycleway. In the case of the already completed cycleway, the majority of the route is along state owned land such as the banks of the Royal Canal and disused railway lines. This initiative was badly thought out, as for instance, one of the most renowned sites to visit in the midlands, Clonmacnoise, was not even considered on this route which is hard to believe