Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen has said he will meet the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue to discuss “outstanding payments” for farmers affected by flooding on the Shannon Callows.
The proposed meeting follows the deputy’s visit to the Shannon Callows, with Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Ulster/North Leinster regional chair, Frank Brady; IFA South Leinster regional chair Paul O’Brien; and Offaly IFA chair Pat Walsh.
A scheme worth €800,000 was announced by government last year to support farmers who had lost fodder due to severe flooding during summer 2023.
However, up to 60 farmers in the area were deemed ineligible to apply.
Brady said that the satellite data collected “did not pick up on all of the affected farms”.
“Some of the grass looked longer than neighbouring fields and water underneath did not show up,” Brady said.
Brady described the system as “flawed”, and said he will be “looking for the minister to right the wrongs”.
He said he will work so that anyone entitled to the compensation “will receive it”.
Deputy Cowen told Agriland that the meeting with Minister McConalogue will be “with a view to identifying each outstanding case”.
Independent TD Carol Nolan has also written to the minister asking him to “review the reliance” on the area monitoring system that is used in order to determine who is eligible for compensation.
“I have been contacted by farmers who were told their areas were not included in the compensation scheme, only for them to then see neighbouring farmers access compensation supports.
“How is that fair when the impact of the flooding has been virtually identical in both cases?” Deputy Nolan said.
She added that an “urgent review is needed”, with many farmers now facing a fodder crisis, due to consistent wet weather.
“If the principle of assisting and compensation has been accepted then it must be applied fairly to all of those that are impacted,” the deputy said.