Senator Seán Kyne has called for targeted storm supports to be given to farmers in the Connemara area after recent flooding and damage.
The Fine Gael senator spoke in the Seanad about the aftermath of storm Bert in 2024, which saw one farmer lose at least 70 sheep which drowned in the floods, as well as reporting widespread damage to fencing.
In late November, the storm brought extremely wet and windy weather to Galway and Connemara, with 60mm of rain falling within a short period, which saturated the ground and led to a surface run-off into streams and a rapid rise in local rivers.
The run-off of the precipitation caused landslides on some of the hillside areas of Maam and Leenane in Connemara in particular.
Senator Kyne said that thousands of euro worth of damage was caused.
“The impact of the storm resulted in the destruction of fencing on many upland farms. In many cases, in the first place, reaching those areas involved helicopter drops to bring in the fencing materials to put the fences in place,” he said.
Act of God
"One farmer lost at least 70 ewes, which were drowned or entangled in trees and wire and were recovered the next day.
“An act of God, if one likes, in storm Bert has resulted in accumulated costs for farmers.
Senator Kyne called for the Government to provide support to these farmers to help futureproof their farms and deal with the effects of future weather events.
He compared his measures to the support scheme in the Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth, where only active farmers with herd numbers who were in the basic investment scheme were supported.
He also called for the fencing that was provided for the farmers two to three years ago to be replaced, as they are damaged.
In response, Colm Brophy, standing in for Minister of Agriculture Martin Heydon, did not confirm that a stand-alone scheme could be provided for the Maam and Leenane areas in Connemara.
“I will, of course, take his remarks back to the Minister and I know the senator will engage with him further on this matter,” Brophy said.
“It is important to reassure the senator that the Government will continue to prioritise policies to protect and enhance farm incomes, including those in the sheep sector.”
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Senator Seán Kyne has called for targeted storm supports to be given to farmers in the Connemara area after recent flooding and damage.
The Fine Gael senator spoke in the Seanad about the aftermath of storm Bert in 2024, which saw one farmer lose at least 70 sheep which drowned in the floods, as well as reporting widespread damage to fencing.
In late November, the storm brought extremely wet and windy weather to Galway and Connemara, with 60mm of rain falling within a short period, which saturated the ground and led to a surface run-off into streams and a rapid rise in local rivers.
The run-off of the precipitation caused landslides on some of the hillside areas of Maam and Leenane in Connemara in particular.
Senator Kyne said that thousands of euro worth of damage was caused.
“The impact of the storm resulted in the destruction of fencing on many upland farms. In many cases, in the first place, reaching those areas involved helicopter drops to bring in the fencing materials to put the fences in place,” he said.
Act of God
"One farmer lost at least 70 ewes, which were drowned or entangled in trees and wire and were recovered the next day.
“An act of God, if one likes, in storm Bert has resulted in accumulated costs for farmers.
Senator Kyne called for the Government to provide support to these farmers to help futureproof their farms and deal with the effects of future weather events.
He compared his measures to the support scheme in the Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth, where only active farmers with herd numbers who were in the basic investment scheme were supported.
He also called for the fencing that was provided for the farmers two to three years ago to be replaced, as they are damaged.
In response, Colm Brophy, standing in for Minister of Agriculture Martin Heydon, did not confirm that a stand-alone scheme could be provided for the Maam and Leenane areas in Connemara.
“I will, of course, take his remarks back to the Minister and I know the senator will engage with him further on this matter,” Brophy said.
“It is important to reassure the senator that the Government will continue to prioritise policies to protect and enhance farm incomes, including those in the sheep sector.”
Read more
In search of the Dinnseanchas at Maam Cross Mart
Storm Bert: 60,000 homes and farms without power as further gusts forecast
Payments begin under Cooley flood damage scheme
Land abandonment is bad news for both people and nature
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