Farmers hope the €3bn National Broadband Plan (NBP) approved by the Government on Tuesday will finally enable them to work online.

Drystock farmer Paul Ross said reception from the calving camera connected to his phone was intermittent in Legan, Co Longford – the place with the slowest internet in Ireland.

“You could lose a calf,” said Ross, also a local Fine Gael councillor.

A dairy farmer in Co Cork said he had to wait to use PastureBase, or load heat detection data in his parlour, delaying milking.

It’s frustrating when you’re that close

Both farmers depend on unstable mobile connections because their fixed lines are too slow. The Cork farmer said his neighbours a few hundred metres either side had broadband: “It’s frustrating when you’re that close.”

This week, the Government selected the last remaining bidder in the NBP tender process, US-based Granahan McCourt, to connect all premises in the State, including two-thirds of Irish farms without high-speed internet.

I know the cost is quite high, but it’s over a number of years and it is essential for rural Ireland

A maximum subsidy of €2.97bn will support the company to achieve this within seven years and maintain the network for 35 years. “I know the cost is quite high, but it’s over a number of years and it is essential for rural Ireland,” said Ross.

The minimum speed in the proposed contract would download the Irish Farmers Journal mobile app in two seconds, compared with over three minutes on connections currently available in Legan.