A plan must be put together by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure Patrick O’Donovan to ensure rising Shannon waters do not lead to severe flooding, the IFA has said.

The call comes after a month of heavy rainfall across the country.

The IFA’s Connacht chair Pat Murphy has sought a meeting with the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure Patrick O’Donovan in the hopes of formulating the proposed flood management plan.

If implemented, such a plan could prevent a reoccurrence of the severe Callows floods of 2009, Murphy suggested.

These floods saw farmland and yards along the Shannon’s banks submerged, with some farmers in affected areas experiencing difficulties in feeding stock.

“There has been a clear increase in rainfall over the past number of weeks and farmers are contacting me, worried about the rising water levels and increased risk of flooding,” Murphy said.

“We need Minister Patrick O’Donovan and the OPW to implement a plan now while the water levels remain below dangerous levels.

“We cannot have a similar scenario to the flooding in 2009, farmers are under enough pressure at the moment without having to worry about their homes, yards and land being submerged in flooding.”