Watch: calls for Government support as receding floods leave devastated farms

Fields in the northwest that run adjacent to watercourses and in the path of water flowing to rivers are covered with silt, stones and water following this week’s devastating floods.

In other parts of the northwest, the heavy rainfall has saturated land and farmers have been housing cattle as ground conditions deteriorate.

Another deluge of heavy rain on Thursday evening fell on already saturated land and caused further flooding in some parts.

A common sight in Donegal, Derry and Tyrone are fields covered in silt that was deposited from rivers as they burst their banks on Tuesday.

Sediment over a foot deep

In fields visited by the Irish Farmers Journal in north Tyrone, sediment is over a foot deep in places and land remains waterlogged with significant quantities of stones also deposited from floodwaters. In the uplands, mudslides also covered land and closed roads.

Reports from farmers indicate that significant numbers of livestock have been lost and substantial areas of cereal crops are still to be cut but have been severely damaged.

Across the border in Co Donegal, IFA president Joe Healy visited affected farms on Friday and said: “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.”

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

Healy called on the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc to conduct an immediate assessment of the losses incurred. “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,” he said.

In the immediate term, the defence forces are deploying 30 members to Co Donegal this Friday to help in clean-up operations. Local authorities and the Department of Social protection are in charge of emergency assistance to those whose homes were invaded by water and mud.

But attention is already turning to longer-term efforts to stop similar events from re-occuring. In Donegal on Thursday, Minister for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief Kevin Boxer Moran said he would this year ask his finance colleague Paschal Donohoe for funding covering 100 priority flood defence schemes including six in the area hit this week. He added that this was part of the Government's overall capital investment plan from 2016 to 2021, which allows for a doubling of annual spending on flood defence schemes to €100m during this period.

Fianna Fáil spokesperson on the OPW and flood relief Eugene Murphy called on the minister to accelerate delivery of the works, saying: “While the Government allocated money for flood defence schemes, we need to see these projects progressed as a matter of urgency. Delays cannot be tolerated – as it is becoming evident that flooding is no longer confined to the winter months."

Additional reporting by Thomas Hubert.

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