Environmental Impact Study

Agricultural enterprise along the route was assessed by Farm Management Consultants Ltd. The LSRR Phase II route traverses land in both County Limerick and County Clare. Grassland based livestock farming is particularly important in both counties with over 98% of the total in each case devoted to livestock enterprises of dairying, cattle and sheep. There will be 35 farms directly affected by the proposed alignment accounting for a total agricultural landloss of approximately 163 hectares (403 acres). The impact of the scheme will be in most cases limited to farms directly traversed by the route and while the loss of land to individual farmers may be significant it will not be significant to agricultural production on a county or national scale.

The impact of the scheme was assessed in terms of the overall impact including loss of land, loss of facilities such as farm buildings and severance. The degree of overall impact on individual farms will vary from not significant to severe with most farms falling into the moderately impacted category (16 of the 35 farms). The majority of farms traversed by the route will not suffer any severance but several will suffer a major impact which will have implications in terms of farm
management on these farms.

Where appropriate, access to severed land parcels will be provided as part of the scheme, following discussions with relevant landowners. Access will be in the form of roadways, overbridges or underbridges. In addition, landowners will be compensated for loss of land and injurious affection under existing legislation.