Farmers Rally in Support of Bantry Pylon Protests

cork | environment | news report Wednesday August 02, 2006 14:29 by Quentin Gargan - Bantry Concerned Action Group bantrypylonprotest at eircom dot net

“There hasn’t been a law made that can’t be changed by common sense and the will of the people”

Over 300 farmers from as far apart as Malin Head in Donegal and Wexford assembled for a rally in Bantry to support over twenty local farmers preventing the ESB from laying an overhead powerline across their lands.

After the rally, the group marched through Bantry, stopping for a while outside a hotel being constructed by Murnane and O'Shea, the businessmen behind the windfarm project who are demanding that overhead powerlines cross 40 farms over a 14km route

Farmers gathered at rally (photo courtesy of Tony McElhinney)

The rally was addressed by Malcolm Thompson, President of the ICSA who called on farmers not to co-operate with the ESB until the issue is resolved. “Farmers throughout Ireland are counting on the Bantry protest succeeding, because if Bantry farmers can persuade the ESB to put lines from windfarms underground there, it will become a new norm to which will benefit both farmers and the community at large ” he said.

Referring to the extraordinary powers granted to the ESB under 1927 rural electrification legislation, he said “There hasn’t been a law made that can’t be changed by common sense and the will of the people. The jury is out on the health effects of overhead lines, and while there is doubt we must defer to the wishes of the person whose land or house is affected”.

Bantry Concerned Action Group (BCAG) is supporting 26 farmers who object to a 14km overhead line crossing their lands between Colomane and Ballylickey – in some cases within 25m of houses. “Since the end of June, we have been peacefully guarding our gates to prevent five crews of construction workers and ESB staff from installing poles and pylons” Joe Burke, chairman of BCAG told the crowd. “The ESB has taken out a number of High Court injunctions and threatened to seek compensation deducted from our EU farm payments. But we are determined that these powerlines will not go over our houses regardless of these threats” he said.

The powerlines are to connect Ballybane Windfarm, owned by Bob Murnane and Denis O’Shea, to the National Grid. The objecting farmers aren’t against the windfarm itself and are willing to cooperate with the project. All they want is for the line to be put underground. Last year Murnane and O’Shea who own a number of local businesses agreed to bury the line for four landowners in the Colomane Region to the exclusion of others.

However the company has now issued High Court Proceedings seeking damages (€1.75 million so far) against 23 of the farmers. Furthermore, they are seeking injunctions to prevent these people from interfering or even watching the ESB put power lines across their land.

Recent studies show that childhood leukaemia is twice as prevalent in families living near overhead power lines. These lines are a visual blight on scenic areas and unspoilt countryside. Underground lines may cost more initially, but they are safer, they require less maintenance, and are not visible.

As more windfarms are built in the area, more powerlines will be required. BCAG is calling on legislators to ensure that these powerlines go underground as is standard practice in Europe.

Children living close to powerlines are more vulnerable to leukaemia (photo courtesy of Tony McElhinney)