Significant Storm Damage to Horticulture Structures

IFA Fruit and Vegetable Chair Niall McCormack said that Storm Éowyn has caused significant damage, severely impacting horticultural businesses. He’s calling on the Government to provide support for horticulture producers whose businesses were affected by Storm Éowyn.

He said many growers have experienced devastating damage due to the high winds on Friday last.

“Between collapsed growing structures and subsequent loss of plants, there are significant financial losses. Growers are assessing the damage which will mount to thousands in many cases. The storm came at a vulnerable time for growers as tunnels and glasses have been planted with young plants for the upcoming season. Structural damage has destroyed many of these plants.”

“Farmers worked tirelessly through the storm to protect their businesses, but they were overwhelmed by the high winds. Although some of the businesses had insurance to cover some structural losses, in general most producers cannot obtain cover for items such as polytunnels, crops and glasshouses,” he said.

He reminded the Government that the cold spell demonstrated how reliant the country is on farmers to get fresh produce to supermarket shelves. “We cannot afford to take food production for granted. The Government needs to stand up and support this sector, which provides more than 7,000 directly in rural areas and is worth nearly €600m to the national economy.”