FARMERS IN LISMORE will meet with Duke of Devonshire’s son next week to try settle a long-running dispute over proposed rent hikes in the Knockmealdown mountains.

The Co Waterford hill and sheep farmers tend to land on the estate of Lismore Castle, which is owned by the duke, Peregrine Cavendish.

He is accused of seeking to raise rent for some farmers from €520 per hectare to €5,200. The estate has justified these increases by pointing to an independent review it commissioned for rates in the west Waterford lands.

Farmers have told The Journal that they have now been told that the duke’s son, Lord William ‘Bill’ Cavendish, will now travel to Lismore to meet with them.

It follows meetings that took place earlier this week with representatives of the estate and the farmers that were described as positive by both sides.

A further de-escalation took place in the dispute yesterday when it emerged that Lismore Estate would begin providing documentation that will allowing the farmers to receive payments from the Department of Agriculture.

This had been a key sticking point that led to the dispute getting raised in the Dáil with the Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon.

The climbdown on the payment documentation followed outcry about the treatment of the farmers, both locally and in the UK where a bookshop owned by the duke in swanky Mayfair was occupied in recent weeks.

Thomas Fitzgerald, who traces his own family’s involvement in farming sheep in the Knockmealdowns back to the 1600s, told The Journal that a key aspect of next week’s meeting is to get assurances that “future generations can continue to farm the land”.

Lismore Estate’s letter to Minister

The Journal has seen correspondence from the duke’s Lismore Estate with Heydon and Waterford TDs where the estate’s spokesperson outlines that it has “always valued the role of the Knockmealdown hill sheep farmers, whose families have been part of this landscape for generations”.

The letter added that Lismore Estate had a “positive and constructive meeting with three representatives of the hill farmers’ group” in recent days.

The estate also wants to find a “resolution that is fair and sustainable” for all parties.

“They are aware that our offer to work this through with an independent third party is still available if needed,” the spokesperson said.

To give the farmers peace of mind while we engage in this collaborative process, we have issued the letters that will allow them to claim their agricultural subsidies from the government without delay.

The estate further offered to “discuss the situation” with the minister and his officials.

“In the meantime, we are confident that collectively, we can achieve a fair resolution,” the estate’s spokesperson added.

Sinn Féin TD Conor McGuinnes welcomed that the farm payments had been unlocked, but warned that the situation must be closely monitored to ensure a fair outcome for all farmers involved.

“These farmers have strong public support and have made clear that they want a sustainable resolution that allows them to continue farming,” McGuinness said.