Farm organisations have called for a compensation fund to be put in place for farmers in Leitrim who have been affected by the landslide in the Drumkeeran area over the last week.
Pat Murphy, IFA Connacht chair, told the Irish Farmers Journal that an emergency fund is needed for the farmers affected.
“There are farmers who have lost fodder; an awful lot were only getting ready for their first cut of silage. It’s important that these farmers don’t suffer cuts to their ANC/BPS.
“There needs to be compensation – the landowners did nothing wrong,” he said, adding that an independent assessment needed to be carried out on why the landslide happened.
“Going on local knowledge, fingers are pointing at the forestry. I believe myself that the land broke away where the land was dug for forestry,” he said.
The INHFA said that there is still ongoing movement in the area as a result of the landslide and the fear is that more rain could make the situation worse, especially at the afforested area at the top of the mountain.
The organisation maintains that slippage from this area has been very obvious, especially in the last two days.
INHFA president Colm O’Donnell called on the Government “to begin remedial works as soon as conditions allow and ensure that affected farmers are fully compensated for any loss suffered.”
‘Tore the mountain down’
Fianna Fáil councillor and Save Leitrim campaigner Justin Warnock said there was “not a shadow of a doubt” that the landslide had been caused by forestry.
“It was blanket bog planted with Sitka spruce in the 1980s.
“It was land that should never have been planted and you wouldn’t be allowed to plant on it now,” Warnock said.
“We had a number of days of heavy rain and it got into the cracks in the peat and tore the mountain down.
“It destroyed the mountain and homeowners and farmers in the area are concerned about other areas planted at the same time.
“We will be looking for a full investigation into this. What went wrong and who should pay for it.
“There are metres of bog on meadows and farmland, not to mention the ecological damage to birdlife and fish life done around Lough Allen.”
Almost 20% of Leitrim was covered in forestry in 2017, a substantially higher figure than the 11% average across all counties.
Sitka spruce was the dominant species making up 61.3% of forest cover, higher than the 50% national average. The Irish Farmers Journal asked the Department of Agriculture if Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen is planning to introduce a compensation package for affected farmers.
A Department spokesperson said the issue of compensation for farmers “is a matter for the local authority”.
Read more
Watch: Leitrim landslide washes thousands of tonnes of peat on to farmland
This week in photos: landslide, silage, sheep, marts and breeding season
For sale: 200,000ac Alaska ranch with lock, stock and barrel
Farm organisations have called for a compensation fund to be put in place for farmers in Leitrim who have been affected by the landslide in the Drumkeeran area over the last week.
Pat Murphy, IFA Connacht chair, told the Irish Farmers Journal that an emergency fund is needed for the farmers affected.
“There are farmers who have lost fodder; an awful lot were only getting ready for their first cut of silage. It’s important that these farmers don’t suffer cuts to their ANC/BPS.
“There needs to be compensation – the landowners did nothing wrong,” he said, adding that an independent assessment needed to be carried out on why the landslide happened.
“Going on local knowledge, fingers are pointing at the forestry. I believe myself that the land broke away where the land was dug for forestry,” he said.
The INHFA said that there is still ongoing movement in the area as a result of the landslide and the fear is that more rain could make the situation worse, especially at the afforested area at the top of the mountain.
The organisation maintains that slippage from this area has been very obvious, especially in the last two days.
INHFA president Colm O’Donnell called on the Government “to begin remedial works as soon as conditions allow and ensure that affected farmers are fully compensated for any loss suffered.”
‘Tore the mountain down’
Fianna Fáil councillor and Save Leitrim campaigner Justin Warnock said there was “not a shadow of a doubt” that the landslide had been caused by forestry.
“It was blanket bog planted with Sitka spruce in the 1980s.
“It was land that should never have been planted and you wouldn’t be allowed to plant on it now,” Warnock said.
“We had a number of days of heavy rain and it got into the cracks in the peat and tore the mountain down.
“It destroyed the mountain and homeowners and farmers in the area are concerned about other areas planted at the same time.
“We will be looking for a full investigation into this. What went wrong and who should pay for it.
“There are metres of bog on meadows and farmland, not to mention the ecological damage to birdlife and fish life done around Lough Allen.”
Almost 20% of Leitrim was covered in forestry in 2017, a substantially higher figure than the 11% average across all counties.
Sitka spruce was the dominant species making up 61.3% of forest cover, higher than the 50% national average. The Irish Farmers Journal asked the Department of Agriculture if Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen is planning to introduce a compensation package for affected farmers.
A Department spokesperson said the issue of compensation for farmers “is a matter for the local authority”.
Read more
Watch: Leitrim landslide washes thousands of tonnes of peat on to farmland
This week in photos: landslide, silage, sheep, marts and breeding season
For sale: 200,000ac Alaska ranch with lock, stock and barrel
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