The Department of Agriculture, the OPW and local authorities are evaluating methods of protecting farm buildings that were flooded again last winter. Any alternative remedial works are being assessed on an individual basis. The outcome of this evaluation will “inform the feasibility of any future once-off targeted scheme for voluntary farm building relocation”.

The news comes as Minister of State for the OPW and Flood Relief Seán Canney announced a €2m Targeted Voluntary Homeowners Relocation Scheme. He also said that significant progress on Ireland’s approach to flood risk management has been made.

The annual allocation for flood defence works will more than double in the next five years from €45m to €100m.

This level of funding increase, together with 12 major schemes at construction this year – a threefold increase in one year – and the work of a cross ministerial group that is identifying ways to reduce the timeframe for delivery of major flood defence schemes, reflect the Government’s commitment to accelerating its work to tackle flood risk.

As part of this announcement, the progress report by the Interdepartmental Flood Policy Co-ordination Group has also been published. The report broadly covers three themes of prevention, protection and preparedness for flooding.

Canney said that the Shannon Flood Risk State Agency Co-ordination Working Group has agreed to trial lowering lake levels in Lough Allen and consider the benefits of piloting the removal of pinchpoints and dredging the Shannon. Flood gates are to be installed in Crossmolina from the week of 14 November and the implementation plan for the establishment of the National Flood Forecasting Service within Met Éireann over the coming five years has been agreed. Work to commence the service has begun.

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