The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has voiced its strong opposition against any move to ban tractors from driving on motorways.

It comes after the Irish Road Hauliers Association (IRHA) made a call for all tractors and slow-moving vehicles to be prohibited from driving on the Irish motorway network due to road safety reasons.

Currently in the Republic of Ireland, a tractor is permitted to drive on motorways if it is capable of reaching a minimum speed of 50km/h.

The IFA said that many farm holdings are fragmented, so farmers need access to the road network.

The association’s president Francie Gorman said that, in most cases, the journey tractors are undertaking is local, so the time spent on the motorway is short.

“This attempt to ban tractors from our motorways has nothing to do with road safety, as implied by the IRHA,” he said.

“It is part of a campaign to corner the market for transporting goods on our roads.”

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