Legislative Measures

I welcome the opportunity to raise an important issue causing genuine fear and anxiety across the rural communities I represent in north Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny. On Monday morning, I attended a meeting in Ballingarry, north Tipperary, where approximately 30 farmers met me to discuss trespass on their land and property. What I mean by this are repeated incidents of people entering farmland without permission, often at night, accompanied by lurcher dogs and using lamps or thermal scopes. The area I am talking about is Ballingarry, Carrig Riverstown, Aglish and those parts of lower Ormond north of Borrisokane and south of Birr and Portumna. That is to give a geographic idea. This area is just one example of many across rural Ireland that are experiencing these trespass issues and the intimidation that comes with them. Here are some examples to let the House know what is happening in this area. One farmer told me that the same individuals had returned to his land every week for five consecutive weeks. Another described a group whose lurcher caught a hare. The individual killed the hare in front of the farmer, then threatened the farmer and damaged fencing on his land. A couple of weeks ago, another farmer was threatened with a metal bar by an individual trespassing on his land. Other described electrical fencing being cut, which is not unusual when this stuff happens, livestock escaping onto roads and in one instance an animal being hit by a car. These are not simply disputes about access to land. They are matters of community safety, personal security and animal welfare. People in rural Ireland deserve to feel safe in their own homes and on their own land. Farmers should not have to feel intimidation, threats, repeated trespassing or deliberate damage to their property or goods by people on their land who do not have permission to be there. I want to be clear that this is not a criticism of local gardaí. I recognise the challenges with response times, particularly in rural Ireland. However, farmers have raised concerns about the availability of nearby stations, response times to this rural area, difficulties contacting the local Garda stations and the arrangements of crossing district boundaries to respond to calls. That brings me to the wider concern, which is the amalgamation of the Tipperary and Clare Garda divisions. I believe it was a huge mistake. I opposed it at the time and I continue to oppose it. We are talking about a Garda division that goes from the west coast of Clare - the Atlantic Ocean - down to Carrick-on-Suir in south Tipperary. We should have two separate divisions for the two different counties. Rural communities need visible policing and confidence that assistance can reach them when they need it. I want the Minister for justice to examine whether the current structure is delivering that, particularly for communities that feel isolated from their main Garda station. Nenagh is the main station for the area I am talking about in Ballingarry, but it is quite a distance away. Borrisokane and Roscrea are two other stations in the general locality but they are not open all the time and therefore the response time is a major issue. We also need to address animal welfare issues. However, I want to distinguish clearly between lawful and legitimate conservation activities, and people accessing land with permission to do so, from those who are continually and illegally accessing farmers' land leaving the farmers feeling threatened and unsafe with threats of violence and farmers not knowing what to do and how to deal with this situation. They are afraid that if they tackle trespassers on their land that there will be repercussions for them as well.

I thank the Deputy for raising this serious matter that deserves the attention of the Dáil. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their local communities. He referred to a meeting in Ballingarry. Acts that undermine people's safety should not be tolerated. Government recognises that community safety is not just about policing but about building communities that are stronger and more resilient. That involves communities themselves building safe and secure communities, contributing to needs across government. Our whole approach to community safety is based on that principle. The National Rural Safety Forum is a perfect example of this approach as its membership consists of Departments, State agencies, social enterprises and representative organisations. The forum is co-chaired by the IFA and An Garda Síochána and provides a space for organisations to bring forward issues that can be addressed in a more collaborative manner. Working in conjunction with the forum, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration developed the rural safety plan up to 2027. The second revision of this plan aims to promote safety in rural communities. That plan was launched at the National Ploughing Championships last year along with the deputy president of the IFA and assistant Garda commissioner for community engagement. Relevant stakeholders had a presence at this year's championship and engaged with tens of thousands of members of the public in relation to the plan and crime in rural areas. Members of the National Rural Safety Forum reflected on the needs of the people they serve and represent and identified four priority areas for the plan to address. This follows an analysis of the impact of previous rural safety plans and consultation with their stakeholders. These priority areas, which form the four pillars of the plan, are community safety and engagement, property crime, road safety and animal welfare crime. To make improvements in these areas, the member organisations have committed to 18 overarching actions. These include individual actions or tackling home burglaries and trespassing on private property. One of the main areas of tackling these issues is Operation Thor, An Garda Síochána's national anti-burglary initiative which has seen a strong focus on rural areas. Following its introduction, recorded residential burglaries fell from 12,600 in the 2015 winter phase to fewer than 2,600 in the same period of 2026. In respect of the legal position of trespassing itself, as the Deputy will be aware, there is robust legislation in place. Therefore, there are no plans to change the law in this regard. However, it is important that we address the safety, the security and the rights of individuals to enjoy their farm and their home and business without fear of intimidation. The issues Deputy O'Meara has raised deserve greater attention and focus.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. To be very straight, the dogs on the street know what these groups are doing when they go onto farmers' land with their lurchers, with their lamps and, in some cases, with their thermal scoping. They should not be on the land to begin with. They are not welcome there. They are repeatedly told that. They do not heed the farmers and indeed it appears the local gardaí when they are told to stay away but we know what they are doing there. They are scoping the land to see what can be robbed. That is what farmers tell me time and again. There are so many rural TDs in this House. The Minister of State himself is one. We all know what they are up to. I do not accept the trespass laws are adequate in this country. If they were and if we had the Garda response times, the farmers in my constituency and rural people in general would feel safe. They would feel protected. I am not trying to be a fearmonger here but this is real. It is palpable. It was palpable when 30 farmers, at 10 a.m. on a fine Monday morning, decided that instead of going out and doing a bit of work - they had already been out that morning working - they would come into a hall and talk to me about these issues because of how concerned they are. What I want to see is the Minister for justice engaging with the Garda Commissioner in relation to rural policing, particularly in this area, which is very isolated - the Ballingarry, Carrig, Riverstown, Eglish and general Lower Ormond area, from the main station in Nenagh. We are struggling to get resources for these people. We need to look at changing the divisional structure that was put in place, where Tipperary and Clare were amalgamated, but we also need a full review of the trespass laws. We need greater protections for our farmers and rural people from these people who are blatantly trespassing, and we know why. We also need greater penalties to deter them from doing so. The farmers tell me that those gangs coming onto their land - we all know where they are coming from - feel untouchable and the law is failing rural people in that regard.

I thank the Deputy for raising this serious matter. I understand the concerns that have been expressed by his constituents, by rural communities, farming organisations and landowners regarding trespassing and the impact that is having on their daily lives. For many people, this issue is not simply around property rights. As I said earlier, rural communities deserve to feel safe and the Government needs to continue to work with An Garda Síochána and representative organisations to support that objective. I certainly recognise the Deputy's concerns raised today. I had a similar scenario in south Mayo, with many farmers and rural dwellers significantly impacted. As in the Deputy's case, public meetings were held. We need to see a response. The Deputy has made a number of points regarding the operation of the current legislative framework. It needs to be looked at again. The Minister for justice, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, and the Commissioner need to review this. We have seen the success of Operation Thor and An Garda Síochána's policing model to deter rural burglaries but we need to look at a targeted approach in regard to this issue alone. As the Deputy said, with thermal lamps and with lurchers, it is evident what the motives of these individuals are. The concerns raised today are really important and I will convey them back to the Minister for justice and ensure he responds.