From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, today announced a scheme to assist farmers who have lost fodder due to exceptional flooding in the Shannon Callows.
The Minister said:
“There has been exceptional flooding in the Shannon Callows during late summer which has prevented farmers from conserving sufficient quantities of hay / silage for the winter months ahead. This has left affected farmers in a serious situation requiring them to purchase additional fodder to maintain animal health and welfare over the winter months. This scheme will assist farmers in this situation.”
The Minister continued:
“This year there was exceptionally heavy rainfall in those late summer months critical to successful harvesting of silage/hay in this environmentally sensitive area."
Concluding, the Minister said:
“I am making available funding of over €800,000 to farmers who have been affected by fodder loss due to flooding in the region. My department, will shortly be in contact with affected farmers."
Payment will be at a rate of €325 per hectare for farmers affected by fodder loss and will be paid on a minimum of one hectare and a maximum of 15 hectares.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will contact farmers directly who have been affected by this flooding in the coming weeks in order to receive applications for aid. Farmers will be asked to confirm they have lost fodder as a result of the extended flooding in order to receive payment.