Compensation was cut when farmers appealed

Farmers were awarded lower compensation for the compulsory purchase of their land in the three most recent cases where they appealed against the price offered under the CPO process.

In one case, a farmer was offered £51,000 for his land by the county council. He appealed the figure to the property arbitrator and got £17,000 less. The decision of the property arbitrator is binding on both parties. In another case, £194,000 was reduced to £153,500, while the third saw the farmer receiving £45,000 instead of £75,000 offered by the local authority.

According to the National Roads Authority, 5 per cent of farmers appeal the price offered under the CPO process. Mr Tom Parlon, the IFA president, said this was because of the draconian legislation and the possibility of the costs being awarded against the land-owner.

Meanwhile, the NRA has rejected a claim by the ICMSA that it accepted the current compensation system was "totally inadequate". The ICMSA met the NRA yesterday to discuss compensation and the drawing up of a code of practice on compulsory purchases.

Mr Michael Egan, NRA head of corporate affairs, said the authority did not accept that the compensation system was inad equate. However, he said, there was scope for an increase in compensation to farmers if efficiencies were made in administration and deals concluded earlier. "The door is open. We want to work in co-operation with farmers," he said.

Mr Pat O'Rourke, ICMSA president, said he was disappointed at the NRA's proposals on the compensation regime. Farmers should be paid development land values because the land was being taken from farmers for development purposes, he said.