Farmers connected to mains water supplies could be hit with higher water bills, as Uisce Éireann plans to increase water charges from October of this year.

Uisce Éireann has proposed that the cubic metre costs should increase by between 17% and 29% depending on usage band, while standing charges should almost double. Uisce Éireann is seeking a 15% cap on the rise in annual water bills in cases where the bill is set to rise by over €250.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has suggested that a 100% increase cap in annual bills should instead be implemented, with this cap only applying on bill hikes above €750.

Higher cap

This higher cap could see bills double year-on-year for the worst affected farmers, and the regulator is also looking for the lifting of the charge capping conditions after October 2026.

Examples cited by the IFA would see a one-connection farm using just over 2.5m litres/year charged an extra €516, while another farmer with two connections using only 950,000l annually could see €280 added to their yearly water bills.

IFA’s environment and rural affairs chair John Murphy voiced particular concern for the hike in standing charges for farmers with multiple connections, such as those with fragmented farms, who could face increased costs across all connections.

Well options

“What we would be saying to large users of water is that they should really be looking at a well, so it is the more modest users and farmers with a few connections that we are most concerned about,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“We are looking for farmers to come forward with real life examples for this consultation to show what the increase will actually do to their bills,” he said.

The public consultation on the proposed changes to water charges will end on 22 February, after which CRU is to make a decision on which rates are to be charged from October.