[Diggers350] Duke of Devonshire lambasted for 900% hike by Knockmealdowns Hill Farmers in Waterford, Eire

[Mark S Brown]

On Thursday April 1st, protesters in London occupied the exclusive Mayfair
antiquarian bookshop belonging to the absentee landlord at the centre of
the rent dispute hitting hill farmers in the Knockmealdowns in Waterford,
Eire. A proposed 900% increase in rent by Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of
Devonshire will drive these traditional farmers off the land their families
have tended to for centuries.



Sheep farmers 900% rent increase issue raised in Dáil
The Munster Express, 28th Mar 2026

Ref:
https://www.munster-express.ie/sheep-farmers-900-rent-increase-issue-raised-in-dil/

The issue of a proposed 900% rent increase for sheep farmers leasing land
in the Knockmealdown Mountains was raised in the Dáil last week.
A group of farmers, who lease the almost 8,000 acres of land on the
mountains from Lismore Estate, which manages Lismore Castle on behalf of
the Duke of Devonshire and his son the Earl of Burlington, recently spoke
out after they were told that the rent they pay will increase up to €50 per
hectare in 2029.

The farmers on the commonage told media that they had previously been
paying €5 per hectare for over 20 years. The figure increased to €15 in
2024, and €17.50 in 2025. They were recently told by Lismore Estate that it
will now increase every year up to 2029.
One sheep farmer, Thomas Fitzgerald said there are concerns they will be
‘hunted’ off the land by the increase, and he has refused to pay the
increased rent until it can be negotiated. In response, Lismore Estate has
refused to provide him with a letter of evidence to prove he is leasing the
land.
Sinn Féin TD Conor D. McGuinness raised the issue to the Minister for
Agriculture, Martin Heydon in the Dáil last week.
“I want to raise the issue of hill farmers on the Knockmealdown Mountains
in County Waterford,” Deputy McGuinness said. “They are currently in
dispute with a landlord over exorbitant rent increases. I know the Minister
will not intervene but the Department has effectively taken a side in an
ongoing dispute here in holding these farmers over a barrel because no farm
payments are being issued while the dispute goes on because of the
requirement to provide a commonage-evidence letter.
“This is effectively the State siding with the landlord. These farmers rely
on that farm payment. They farm other lands as well as the ones that are in
dispute. This has echoes of darker times in our history when absentee
landlords pushed farmers of the land. The Department needs to take a
realistic look at this,” he added.
In response, Minister Heydon said: “I am aware of the particular case in
Waterford that Deputy McGuinness has raised. It is a bit beyond the scope
of this question. The issue of single farm payments comes down to who is
the active farmer. That is the position on that question. I hope a
resolution can be found in the near future”.
Deputy McGuinness said that the response received by the Minister was
“wholly inadequate” and confirms that the Government is “taking a hands off
approach.”
He added: “These farmers are facing rent increases of up to 900 percent. At
the same time, they are being denied access to their farm payments because
they cannot produce a commonage evidence letter while the dispute is
ongoing. That leaves them trapped, under pressure, and with their
livelihoods at risk”.
“This has echoes of darker times when absentee landlords pushed Irish
farmers off the land. That is a comparison that should deeply concern this
Government.
“The Minister’s response boiled down to a narrow technical definition of
‘active farmer’ and a hope that the issue resolves itself. That is not good
enough. These are real families who rely on those payments to survive and
to continue farming.
“This is about the future of hill farming and rural communities in places
like the Knockmealdowns. Once this way of life is lost, it cannot simply be
restored.
“The Minister must now intervene. He must ensure that no farmer loses their
payments because of documentation issues arising from an ongoing dispute,
and he must engage to support a fair and sustainable outcome for those
farming these lands,” Deputy McGuinness concluded.
A spokesperson for Lismore Estate provided the following statement: “A rent
review was conducted in 2023 which informed the proposed rents for tenants
of the Knockmealdown Mountains on the Lismore Estate, up to and including
2029”.
“This proposal was endorsed by an independent agricultural consultant, and
we are working with tenants on its gradual phased implementation,” the
spokesperson for Lismore Estate added.
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