The Government is being called on to provide “a financial aid package” for damage caused by the current flooding around the country.
Tim Cullinan, the president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), has said that the Government “needs to take immediate action” on the damage being caused to farmland in several areas around the country.
With caretaker Taoiseach Leo Varadkar set to visit affected areas today, Monday, February 24 – something Cullinan welcomed – the IFA president claimed that “there’s an element of trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted”.
We need an immediate assessment of damage losses and a financial aid package.
“The fact the insufficient action has been taken to manage the River Shannon is a contributory factor in the current flooding crisis,” Cullinan argued.
“I met farmers in Co. Longford in the last week, and they raised the problems of the levels in the River Shannon. With better monitoring, we could avoid some of the problems we have now,” he highlighted.
“We need real action to protect farmers and other members of these communities,” he added.
“The Government must co-ordinate an emergency plan to alleviate the situation,” Murphy argued.
“In the longer term, a significant investment programme would be needed to alleviate the pressure on farmers living near the River Shannon and in other parts of the country,” he added.
Murphy called for “joined-up thinking” between various authorities to address the problem.
“The Government needs an overall strategy to tackle the flooding issue which has affected areas such as the Shannon catchment area and other river areas throughout the country,” he concluded.