Deadline Extension Needed for Shannon Callows Flood Scheme

IFA President Tim Cullinan has called on Minister Charlie McConalogue to extend the application deadline for the Shannon Callows Flood Scheme and ensure all impacted farmers can apply.

As it stands, impacted farmers had until midnight last night to get their applications in, but not all farmers have been contacted by the Department or received their Expression of Interest forms.

“We are also hearing there may have been some IT issues where not all impacted sites were correctly identified. At a minimum, the Department need to push out the deadline so everybody can apply. We have raised the issues with the Department but there has been no resolution yet. A degree of pragmatism and fairness needs to apply here,” he said.

“The damage done by the flooding meant thousands of acres of silage and hay were destroyed and unsalvageable. The €325/ha payment will go some way to alleviating the hardship caused by the weather conditions,” Tim Cullinan said.

“It’s important that all impacted farmers get access to this scheme, and that the funding is released as soon as possible and that the conditions to apply are not too onerous,” he said.

“In the longer term, an agency must be established which would include local farmers to manage the River Shannon to rectify the problems. This must be established without delay and cannot be put on the long finger anymore,” he added.