Assistance Needed for Donegal Farmers Impacted by Flash Flooding
IFA President Joe Healy has been visiting the Inishowen area in Co Donegal this morning to survey the damage caused by the torrential rainstorm on Tuesday last.
Joe Healy said the flash flooding has caused devastation for dozens of farmers, with farmland, sheds, stock and farmhouses badly damaged by the heavy downpour earlier in the week.
“The farming community is reeling from the shock of what happened here on Tuesday. In some cases, stock has been lost and in other cases, land and crops are submerged under water. Farm families have been cut off because of damage to roads and bridges.”
Joe Healy said the farmers he had met were still trying to come to terms with the destruction caused by the unprecedented level of rainfall. “They are facing ruin because of the losses they have suffered.”
The IFA President said the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc should begin an assessment immediately to calculate the losses incurred by farmers. He said, “Farmers whose crops and livestock have been devastated by this freak event will have to be part of whatever aid package comes forward from the Government”.
Joe Healy called on the Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty to ensure support for farmers where their homes and contents have also been damaged due to flood waters.
