UFU Deputy President John McLenaghan, on his farm near Garvagh. Picture: Cliff Donaldson
Commenting, UFU deputy president John McLenaghan said, “Following today’s court ruling against the A5 road project, many questions will be put to the Department of Infrastructure in the coming days and weeks. We urge the DoI to engage immediately and directly with all affected landowners, to provide clear answers on what will happen next and to ensure that any ongoing impacts to farm businesses are appropriately addressed.
“The DoI has caused deep frustration and unnecessary stress for so many farm families. It’s crucial that work begins without delay to return vested land in its original state pre-vesting, fairly compensating affected farmers and landowners for the significant disruption to their businesses and operations.
“The UFU has always understood the need for improved infrastructure and safety, however, farmers and landowners needed to be supported and included in A5 communication from the get go which did not happen. For well over a decade, affected farmers and landowners were left in limbo, with no clear communication from any of the parties involved. They were unable to plan for the future or invest in their farm business because they had zero confidence or awareness of what was happening.
“In today’s ruling, the judge also stated that the DoI’s plans did not comply with climate change targets set by the NI Executive. Prior to the targets becoming legislation in 2022, the UFU was consistently vocal about the deeply flawed and unrealistic targets, yet the majority of MLAs still voted in support of the legislation, going against the independent and expert advice of the Climate Change Committee.
“We will now continue to support our members and lobby for fair and respectful treatment of landowners which has been missing throughout this process.”
