100 signatures reached
To: Ministers Charlie McConalogue and Pippa Hackett
Put limits on the purchase of land by the mega wealthy
Irish farmland is being bought up by billionaire investors who are able to pay treble the current market value. Farmers who need to expand to remain viable, or new entrant farmers are completely shut out of the bidding when these individuals or syndicates wish to add to their vast land portfolios.
The result is a growing monopoly by these new absentee landlords which spells the death knell of the family farm.
Inflated land values have serious implications for Capital Acquisition tax going forward (gift and inheritance tax).
Land purchase by state sponsored foreign vulture funds includes the buying up of thousands of hectares for forestry.
There are growing concerns about the environmental sustainability of land use by corporate agri-industrial landowners.
All this is happening now with no sign of slowing down. While there is no law against massive land acquisition, it is unconstitutional: Article 45 paragraph (v) of our 1937 Constitution holds that:
“The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing....that there may be established on the land in economic security as many families as in the circumstances shall be practicable."
But the State is currently doing nothing to honour this commitment.
Why is this important?
It doesn’t have to be this way.
There are alternatives.
In France they have a system called SAFER which:
*Intervenes in land sales in the public interest where there is land speculation by non farmers and billionaire investors
*Ensures viable land holdings,
*Maintains rural communities and the viability of
existing farms,
*Controls prices so land is affordable.
Our politicians are avoiding this issue.
They have their heads in the sand.
We demand that they sort out the mess NOW to ensure viable landholdings for farming families.
Irish Family Farms is a group of landowners and other citizens who have got together to raise awareness of this issue and demand change. We will use this petition to apply pressure on government ministers McConalogue and Hackett to change the system.