Cllr Watters says Dept has not stepped up to support farmers in North Louth
Dundalk Municipal District December meeting
Cllr Antóin Watters has said that the Department of Agriculture has “not stepped up to support any of the farmers” in North Louth who have debris and rubble on their land following October's devastating floods and asked Louth County Council if it has any information as to what farmers can do “where a stream used to go left and is now going right through someone's garden or farmyard”.
Cllr Watters raised the matter at the Dundalk Municipal District December meeting, seeking information and updates on matter relating to road repairs and damage to private lands.
The Dundalk-Carlingford councillor first sought an update at the meeting, on the 15 roads that were significantly in the recent floods and Louth County Council's restoration plan for them.
Cllr Watters asked had there been any word from the government department in relation to funding for the repairs to the roads, adding that recent cold weather was not helping the issue.
In relation to the government's humanitarian scheme, Cllr Watters said that he believed there was about 50 or 60 active cases lodged at the moment, but added that people were being told that nothing outside someone's building is being covered by the scheme, and they would have to get in touch with the Council in relation to it.
“So if a river has burst its banks into someone's garden and has destroyed it, is that something the council is going to look at?”, Cllr Watters enquired.
Pointing to cases where water is flowing into people's driveways, Cllr Watters added that the “humanitarian scheme is saying no, so who is going to say yes?”
He further enquired, “Has the council any information as to what farmers can do where a stream used to go left and is now going right through someone's garden or farmyard.”
Replying to Cllr Watters queries, Senior Engineer Paddy Connelly said that extra roads have since been added to the list for repairs and that they have passed on the information to the government department but are yet to receive a response.
Mr Connelly added that Louth County Council have no plans to do any works on private lands, and that they were stretched trying to do the repairs on the public network.
He further added that Inland Fisheries were in touch with Louth County Council to remind farmers to liaise with them if they are carrying out any works on rivers.