Independent Deputy Marian Harkin is calling for compensation for farmers in Leitrim and Sligo whose lands have been designated as Special Areas of Conservation.
The Sligo Leitrim TD says 50 townlands in or near Lough Melvin , and 69 around Templehouse and the Ox mountains have just received their full official designation as Special Areas of Conservation.
This means that between 30 and 37 different actions on these lands that require consent, including if a farmer wants to build anything, remove or alter fences or hedgerows, on change the number of livestock grazing there.
Deputy Harkin says there are also impacts if a landowner wants to build a house or even extend sheds and this can lead to their land being devalued for the future.
She says the farmers involved must be compensated appropriately.
