Shannon Callows flood payments ‘a once-off’ – Heydon
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has described the 2023 Shannon Callows Flood Scheme as “a once-off measure”.
The minister added: “There are currently no plans to introduce another scheme.”
He made the comments in reply to a query from Roscommon-Galway Fianna Fáil TD Martin Daly about supports related to “persistent elevated water levels and flooding in the Shannon Callows”.
Minister Heydon said: “My department is not involved in the management of the water levels on the River Shannon, however, following exceptional flooding in the Shannon Callows during the summer of 2023, on November 7, 2023, the Shannon Callows Flood Scheme was announced as a once-off measure.
“The aim of the scheme was to support farmers who had lost fodder due to exceptional and prolonged flooding in the region during summer 2023.”
That summer, farmers in the Shannon Callows saw thousands of acres worth of fodder flooded, equating to tens of thousands of bales lost.
In November 2023, then-Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue secured cabinet approval for a €800,000 scheme to help farmers who lost fodder due to the flooding.
Website
In October of last year, a new website was launched to provide the public with information on flood risk and water levels on the River Shannon.
The Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), Kevin 'Boxer' Moran, announced the new website for the Shannon Flood Risk State Agency Coordination Working Group.
Minister Moran also confirmed that funding of €2 million will be allocated for future "strategic maintenance work" on the Shannon.
The working group was established in 2016, following severe flooding that impacted the River Shannon Basin, to coordinate the future efforts of the relevant state agencies in the region.
The website is designed to share information with communities and the general public about the work of the group.
