The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has today (Wednesday, July 17) launched a support scheme for farmers impacted by localised flooding last year in the Cooley Peninsula. 

Exceptionally heavy rainfall and storms last October and November resulted in “unprecedented rainfall” on already saturated ground.

Minister Charlie McConalogue said today: "I’m acutely aware of the impact the severe weather had on farms in the Cooley Peninsula.  

"This scheme is a critical support to the farmers of that region".

Under the terms of the scheme financial assistance will be available for farmers towards the costs of:

Restoring agricultural land;
Loss or damage to fodder or fertiliser;
Repair or replacement to damaged fencing, gateways, farm roadways and lane ways.

Reports compiled for the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) detail the impact of flooding on individual land holdings situated in the Cooley Peninsula.

But Minister McConalogue has encouraged farmers who were impacted by flooding in the area to apply directly to the Cooley Flood Damage Relief Scheme and "provide any necessary supporting documents to allow the applications to be processed in a timely manner.”

Meanwhile the Fianna Fáil senator for Louth and East Meath, Erin McGreehan, has welcomed the announcement of the support scheme for farmers impacted by flooding in the Cooley Peninsula.

Senator McGreehan said that by creating the support scheme the Minister for Agriculture had "ensured that the financial burden placed on farming families who were severely impacted by the natural disaster will most definitely be alleviated”.

She also highlighted that applications for the Cooley Flood Damage Relief measure are open from today until July 31.