Flooding in south Roscommon causing alarm for farmers
A water body close to Lough Funshinagh, known as Lough Cup, has been causing alarm for farmers in south Roscommon, as water levels rise following heavy rainfall over the past number of weeks.
Agriland spoke to Co. Roscommon farmer, John Leonard to find out how the flooding is affecting their farm.
He said: "The flood is right outside the gate of the farm.
"In 2016 it came out on the road on December 12 and went 6ft high on the road. We couldn’t get in or out of the yard.
"It came out onto the road on November 22, and there is a fear that it could go as high as in 2016, as it's three weeks earlier."
Leonard explained that severe flooding in 2016 caused them to be unable to reach the farm without adding 30km onto their journey via a road the council had risen to get past the flooding.
He outlined that during the winter time, they could be on farm up to four or five times a day, between feeding and animals calving.
"We could go four or five times [to the farm], then people said to us why don’t we stay there but you can’t really because it’s wet and you’re looking out at it the whole time, like you have to go home," he added.
Flooding
Another farmer who is leasing land in the area, Sean Gormley, explained that he nearly lost a creep feeder to the flooding earlier this month.
He said: "The flood at the moment is probably covering 5ac of land.
"It’s unbelievable the way it’s [flood water] after coming in a matter of days, the water has nowhere to escape to.
"I had a creep feeder there for calves. The feeder was in a high enough spot on a hill, and there was a bit of water, but the next day you couldn’t see any of the hill.
"The water had just taken over and I just got the feeder out in time with the tractor."
