FARMERS in West Cork are seeking a compensation scheme for the ‘sheer devastation’ caused to lands by recent floods.
The surge of flood waters last week saw roads swept away as rivers burst their banks, with farm fencing damaged, while animals brought to safety from the rising waters have since had to be kept indoors, adding to feed costs.
Farmer Helen O’Sullivan had almost 30 acres covered by the floods, and she told The Southern Star the floods left her farm along the Mealagh Valley ‘like Bantry Bay’.
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Her farm was one of several locally to endure damage, with farmers in other areas including Togher near Dunmanway and Caheragh also facing unexpected costs due to flood damage.
Helen made contact with the offices of Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW Kieran O’Donnell calling for a flood relief package to be put in place. ‘I’m hopeful something will be done,’ she said.
Fine Gael election candidate Cllr Noel O’Donovan visited the Mealagh Valley on the invitation of Helen and other farmers affected by the flooding.
‘What I witnessed on the farms I visited was sheer devastation,’ Cllr O’Donovan said. ‘Farm roadways washed away, fencing either knocked or damaged beyond repair, landslides and fields scattered with the debris from rivers bursting their banks.
‘The cost of repairs for these farm businesses will be in the thousands. Farmers are already under financial strain and need to be supported to put right the damage caused.’
Cllr O’Donovan has raised the matter with junior minister at the Dept of Agriculture Martin Heydon and said there is precedent for a compensation package for farmers as was rolled out by Minister Charlie McConalogue recently in the Cooley peninsula following storm damage during the winter of 2023. Similar schemes were also rolled out to support farmers in Leitrim and in Wexford.
‘We’ve seen extensive damage to business and residential properties in the greater Bantry and Caheragh areas. Thankfully, there are financial compensation schemes to support both residential and commercial properties. However, to date no financial support has been made available for the farming community,’ he said.
Cllr O’Donovan asked that any farmer affected, or who suffered loss or damage of property due to the flooding, should make contact with him.
