The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Connacht regional chair has said that the deadline for a scheme to support farmers impacted by flooding in the Shannon Callows must be extended.
Pat Murphy, who is currently contesting the IFA deputy presidential election, told Agriland that the deadline of next Monday, November 27 is “too short”.
Under the €800,000 scheme, payments will be made at a rate of €325/ha for farmers affected by fodder loss on a minimum of 1ha and a maximum of 15ha.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue previously said that his department would contact affected farmers.
However, Pat Murphy estimated that only 60% of the affected farmers have received letters from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
He said that many farmers are not aware that under the terms of the scheme they must be contacted first by the department.
Shannon Callows
Murphy is now encouraging any impacted farmers who have not received a letter to contact DAFM as soon as possible.
“We know the cost of having to replace fodder, we know the farmers that have lost fodder during the year and it caused huge devastation.
“There is a scheme there to help pay for some of that replacement, and farmers can’t afford to leave it behind them.
“Get onto the department, don’t be waiting for them to contact you because the closing date is coming quick and fast. Even if we get an extension, the time here is limited,” he said.
Murphy said that the scheme will help farmers to recoup some of their losses this year due to flooding.
“It’s not going to cost the State a huge amount when you consider what’s been given to businesses in other parts of the country with the recent storms.
“Farmers are businesses too. and they have lost out on this big time. The farmers affected are only getting a small fraction of what other businesses are getting.
“Therefore, I think that we need every opportunity for farmers to be identified and be able to draw down that money which is going to be spent in replacing the fodder that they didn’t get,” he said.
Scheme
According to DAFM, farmers will be eligible for the Shannon Callows Flood Scheme (SCFS) once they have received an expression of interest form from the department.
Farmer must sign and submit this form which confirms that they have lost fodder as a result of the exceptional flooding in summer 2023 by midnight on November 27, 2023.
The farmer must have submitted a valid 2023 Basic Income for Support for Sustainability (BISS) application.
Only grassland parcels suitable and available for harvesting hay and or silage before September 29, 2023, declared on BISS 2023, and identified as having been affected by flooding by the department’s Area Monitoring System (AMS), will be eligible.
“There must be a minimum of 1 hectare of land in a flood affected parcel, or cumulatively across multiple flood affected parcels, to be eligible for a payment under this scheme,” DAFM said.
Murphy claimed that applying the AMS system for the scheme is “flawed” as it cannot identify flooding in high meadows.
“You cannot see the water from that distance if the grass cover is there,” he said.
Flooding
Meanwhile, Pat Murphy, who is the IFA spokesperson on flooding, has called on county councils and the Office of Public Works (OPW) to expedite work on flood relief projects around the country.
He said that water tables are at a high point in 2023 and “urgent action is needed to bring peace of mind to farmers around the country”.
“I accept that the process is complicated but this is no comfort to the families living in fear, year after year,” he said.
Murphy recently visited the Cooley Peninsula in Co. Louth where he saw the impact of flooding on farmers.
“It is incredible that it takes years to get a project under construction and results in exposing communities to damage to their homes, loss of life, loss of livelihood and livestock.
“Too long we are hearing of ministers coming out in the media in the immediate aftermath of flooding but years later there is no meaningful changes,” he said.