Pylons battle isn’t over yet say angry farmers

Farmers along the route of a planned power line through Shropshire and Mid Wales say they won’t co-operate with National Grid – despite the offer of up to £6,000 to set up pylons on their land.

Several spoke out at a meeting for National Farmers’ Union members in Llanymynech, near Oswestry, yesterday, saying they feared they would be branded villains for taking money in exchange for seeing pylons built in their fields.

The NFU organised the meeting after representatives met with National Grid on Monday.

National Grid says it wants the high voltage line to link wind farms in Mid Wales through a sub station in Cefn Coch to its north-south power line running from Wrexham to Telford.

Yesterday, NFU land agent Louise Staples revealed the sums that National Grid was prepared to pay to farmers, which range from £250 for surveying land to £6,000 to set a pylon on the field.

But many of those at the meeting said they were not interested in the money.

Meifod farmer Jonathan Wilkinson – chairman on the Montgomery Against Pylons campaign group – said: “There are many of us out there that are going to resist. Landowners are entitled to say no to National Grid and not be rushed into an agreement.” Others said they did not want the money and they did not want the pylons. It was not adequate compensation.

Sarah Faulkner, from the NFU regional office, said: “We will keep fighting this for you, it is not over yet.”

However, farmers were warned that the National Grid had the right under the Electricity Act to gain access to and to compulsory purchase the land.

National Grid has invited farmers to meetings, not open to the public.