Galway farmer Michael Silke has over 100 acres under water and cattle indoors since last August.
He lays the blame firmly at the door of successive governments and their agencies, with whom he has spent years outlining the problems of the Shannon callows.
“Back in 2009, we were told that the floods were a one-in-100- or 200-year event. Now we’ve had the same flooding for the third time in 10 and a half years,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“We (the IFA floods project team) put in a huge effort and there were a lot of promises made by the Government, but none of them were ever honoured,” he insisted on Monday.
Michael Silke's land has been under water since August.
Silke says pinch points along the River Shannon are exacerbating the effect of changing rainfall patterns, which are no longer light and prolonged, but heavy and intense.
Silt islands
“Silt from Bord na Mona for 50 years is ending up in the river. There are islands in the middle of the Shannon that were never there when I was growing up,” he said. “They have made no effort to take them out of it.”
Only one pinch point on the river close to Lusmagh has been removed, he claimed, while many others remain.
Galway farmer Michael Silke led the IFA's floods project team, but says nothing was done by the Government to address the issues along the Shannon. \ Molloy Photography
“I spent days on the river itemising all of those problems, feeding all the information to the OPW and the relevant minister, but nothing was ever done,” said Silke.
“It’s getting really serious now. It’s got to the stage where we’ll have to take the law into our own hands, to take those impediments out of the river,” he warned.
It’s either lie down and get drowned or get up off our arses to fix the problem
“It’s either lie down and get drowned or get up off our arses to fix the problem because the politicians have failed to do it.”
Outlining his frustration with the government, Silke said: “I have well over 100ac under water, that ground has been useless to me since last August. I was due to cut 50ac of silage on 15 August but it was gone by 6 August.
“My grazing was gone, silage gone and cattle are locked up since then.”
Water levels are worrying the Galway farmer now more than ever.
Michael Silke's land has been under water since August.
“We can take normal flooding, but this is higher than I’ve seen it at this time of year. It’s heading for what we saw in 2015/2016,” he warned.
Last generation of farmers
He fears that his will be the last generation of farmers on the Shannon callows.
“No young fella will endure what we are enduring financially or emotionally. We got out on that land in the first or second week of May and were back off it on the first week of August. Sure there’s no future in farming like that.”
IFA president Tim Cullinan has called for urgent action from the Government and a financial aid package for affected farmers.
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Galway farmer Michael Silke has over 100 acres under water and cattle indoors since last August.
He lays the blame firmly at the door of successive governments and their agencies, with whom he has spent years outlining the problems of the Shannon callows.
“Back in 2009, we were told that the floods were a one-in-100- or 200-year event. Now we’ve had the same flooding for the third time in 10 and a half years,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“We (the IFA floods project team) put in a huge effort and there were a lot of promises made by the Government, but none of them were ever honoured,” he insisted on Monday.
Michael Silke's land has been under water since August.
Silke says pinch points along the River Shannon are exacerbating the effect of changing rainfall patterns, which are no longer light and prolonged, but heavy and intense.
Silt islands
“Silt from Bord na Mona for 50 years is ending up in the river. There are islands in the middle of the Shannon that were never there when I was growing up,” he said. “They have made no effort to take them out of it.”
Only one pinch point on the river close to Lusmagh has been removed, he claimed, while many others remain.
Galway farmer Michael Silke led the IFA's floods project team, but says nothing was done by the Government to address the issues along the Shannon. \ Molloy Photography
“I spent days on the river itemising all of those problems, feeding all the information to the OPW and the relevant minister, but nothing was ever done,” said Silke.
“It’s getting really serious now. It’s got to the stage where we’ll have to take the law into our own hands, to take those impediments out of the river,” he warned.
It’s either lie down and get drowned or get up off our arses to fix the problem
“It’s either lie down and get drowned or get up off our arses to fix the problem because the politicians have failed to do it.”
Outlining his frustration with the government, Silke said: “I have well over 100ac under water, that ground has been useless to me since last August. I was due to cut 50ac of silage on 15 August but it was gone by 6 August.
“My grazing was gone, silage gone and cattle are locked up since then.”
Water levels are worrying the Galway farmer now more than ever.
Michael Silke's land has been under water since August.
“We can take normal flooding, but this is higher than I’ve seen it at this time of year. It’s heading for what we saw in 2015/2016,” he warned.
Last generation of farmers
He fears that his will be the last generation of farmers on the Shannon callows.
“No young fella will endure what we are enduring financially or emotionally. We got out on that land in the first or second week of May and were back off it on the first week of August. Sure there’s no future in farming like that.”
IFA president Tim Cullinan has called for urgent action from the Government and a financial aid package for affected farmers.
Read more
Calls for urgent action as floods cause havoc on farms
Nationwide snow and ice warning issued
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