FARMERS BLOCK THE ENTRANCE TOBY PASS SITE’S OFFICES
WEXFORD IFA VOW THAT FURTHER ACTION WILL FOLLOW UNLESS A RESOLUTION IS REACHED
TENSIONS were running high at Scarawalsh on Friday as farmers from Wexford IFA blocked the entrance to site offices for the M11 bypass. Some 200 farmers manned a barricade at the site entrance over the course of the day over a perceived unwillingness on behalf of the contractors, BAM Dragados, to engage with them on a string of issues including problems with drainage, site access, fencing and boundary issues. The farmers were keen to stress that this was very much a ‘ last resort’.
CARS lined the roadside from early morning on the N11 near Scarawalsh on Friday as members of Wexford IFA gathered to stage a protest against those behind the M11 bypass project. Workers looking to gain access to the offices of BAM Dragados, the contractors behind the project, just off the main road were forced to find an alternative route as they were greeted with the site of a huge John Deere tractor and trailer barring all access to the site. When a gate was opened up further down the road, the farmers blocked this one with vehicles as well in a bid to force some kind of resolution. Tensions were running high at the site before the IFA opted to call a halt to the protest ‘on health and safety grounds’ at around 3.30 p.m.
Over the course of the day, around 200 farmers came and went from the site to join in calls for those behind the motorway to actively open a dialogue with farmers on a number of issues surrounding the project. The sense of anger among the group was palpable with many stressing that this was a last resort. They pointed out that they had been seeking a meeting with BAM, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Wexford County Council for some time in relation to major issues surrounding land access, drainage, fencing and boundary issues. While a meeting had been held with the contractors on their own last Wednesday, the IFA said that they were ‘extremely dismissive’ of their grievances and seemed unwilling to engage.
County Chairman of the IFA, James Kehoe, said that tensions had been growing in recent weeks and accused BAM, TII and the council of breaking promises made to farmers operating in areas affected by the bypass.
‘Firstly, the bypass construction is welcomed by Wexford farmers,’ he said. ‘It will serve the county well in the future and we realise that progress must be made. The issue we have as farmers is that along the bypass, lands are being hugely affected. Farmers close to the bypass are having huge problems with drainage and land access and then there’s also major issues in relation to fencing and boundary issues. We’ve had lots of promises from the contractor, the council and TII to facilitate landowners, but these promises have been
broken.’
Mr Kehoe said that the protest was truly a last resort as he had sought meetings with all three organisations behind the bypass, but nothing was being done.
‘ There’s massive frustration from farmers,’ he said. ‘ This is the last thing we wanted to do, but we’ve exhausted every possible avenue. The vast majority of the parties involved will listen to our concerns and say they’ll try to address them, but it goes up along the line then and it’s not being rectified or addressed.’
Also present at the protest was South Leinster Regional Chairman of the IFA Tom Short who pledged the support of the whole organisation.
‘ The onus is on those behind the project to work with the community,’ he said. ‘A lot of these issues might seem relatively small, but they’re very important to someone trying to run a farm in rural Wexford. The contractor has to sit down and communicate with us to make progress. We’re demanding that senior management from all parties involved sit down and come to some kind of agreement. At the minute, they continue to ignore the issues. The National IFA is 100% behind James and his team on this and we would encourage them to keep at it. The contractor cannot continue to ride slipshod over the local community.’
As far as the continuation of the protest goes, Mr Kehoe said that local farmers would continue to protest around the bypass until such time as a proper meeting is arranged to discuss the issues involved.
Speaking on behalf of Wexford County Council, Director of Services Eamonn Hore said that he was ‘surprised’ by Friday morning’s picket, having only met with Mr Kehoe and an IFA delegation the week beforehand.
‘I was surprised by the picket and I suppose a bit disappointed that it had come to this,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t aware of the picket until James (Kehoe) rang me this morning. I met with James and I think three other people last week and the meeting went very well. It was very amicable.’
Mr Hore indicated that it was his understanding that the IFA were due to meet with BAM, the contractors, in the days before the protest and said he was unaware of the outcome of the meeting. He said that members of Wexford IFA were due to meet with TII in the coming week and he hoped that these talks would prove more fruitful.
‘Hopefully these issues can be resolved quickly,’ he said. ‘We are always willing to engage with the IFA. Obviously, we don’t want any delays at this late stage in the project when things are very much on schedule, but at the same time, if there are issues to be resolved, we hope that’s done too.’
‘I think with a bit more engagement on both sides, this will be resolved.’
Wexford IFA have vowed that more action will be forthcoming over the coming days and weeks if no resolution is found. While they were due to meet with TII and Wexford County Council again this week, they have stated that their main gripe is with the contractor and unless they come to the table and take their grievances seriously, the matter will continue to run in circles.
Contractors BAM Dragados were unreachable for comment at the time of going to print.