During his busiest time of the year, Christmas tree farmer John White is one of four farmers in Dundalk, Co. Louth who can’t access their land on a mountainside, following damaging floods last month.
White sells trees in Dundalk each year, which is about three miles from his Christmas tree site.
White also grows trees in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, where he has been travelling up and down from for a month, due to road conditions where his site is based at Ballymakellet on the Cooley peninsula.
“I’m only three miles from my farm to my stand, yet I have to travel nearly a four hour journey,” White told Agriland.
White said he has had to hire extra staff during the period, due to more travel and said it is costing him approximately €6 or €7 extra a tree.
He added that one of the farmers affected, a sheep farmer, has to go about 10 mile out of his way for access to his land.
“There’s a crevice up to six feet deep running along the side for about half a mile, and the banks are starting to fall in, so it’s going to be a major job,” White said.
White was in touch for compensation with the Irish Red Cross, which provides emergency flood relief, but said he was told that the case was “ineligible”.
Louth Fine Gael TD, Fergus O’Dowd asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue if there will be any funding available for agricultural related flooding.
Minister Mc Conalogue said there are no plans by his department to put in place a scheme for farmers affected by the recent flooding.
Deputy O’Dowd said he has requested that the Minister for Enterprise, Simon Coveney considers expanding the Irish Red Cross Scheme using this circumstance as an example.
Deputy O’Dowd added that he has been engaging with the minister for enterprise and the director of services in Louth County Council in respect of this issue.
He said it would seem that the situation “represents a gap in the supports available” to those affected by the flooding in north Louth.
Agriland has contacted Louth County Council for response.