Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, asked me to respond to this Topical Issue matter on his behalf. As Deputies will know, he was not available in the Chamber a short while ago for the votes either. I thank Deputies Harkin and Fitzmaurice for raising this issue, which is very difficult for the people involved.

The landslide occurred on Shass Mountain, close to the village of Drumkeeran in County Leitrim, on 28 June 2020 following heavy rain on that day and in the preceding days. An area of upland blanket bog, including an area of adjacent forestry plantation, moved downhill as a result of the liquefied peat, vegetation and trees continuing from its source to follow the course of a tributary of the Diffagher River downhill to Lough Allen. Some of the landslide material was held up at an area known as Dawn of Hope Bridge close to the origin of the landslide. A quantity of material overflowed the bridge, however, and made its way approximately 7 km downstream to eventually spread out and settle on areas of farm and forestry land in a number of townlands. Sporadic deposits of peat and other debris subsequently occurred, with the heaviest deposits occurring in three townland areas, namely, Corcormick, Derrindangan and Corchuill Lower.

Following the landslide, officials from the Department mapped the areas affected by the deposit of peat and debris from the landslide using a combination of satellite imagery for the period in question and detailed GPS data collected from surveys conducted on the ground in July and August 2020. The total land area of agricultural land affected by the overspill has been calculated at 24.09 ha. This land was declared by 18 basic payment scheme, BPS, applicants in 2020. The total area of forestry within the damaged area is approximately 12 ha. This comprises land held in seven privately owned forestry contracts.

In the aftermath of the landslide in 2020, the Minister moved to ensure that force majeurewould apply to ensure that all farm scheme payments were not impacted by this event. Officials from the

Department contacted each of the applicants affected by the landslide to assure them that payments would not be impacted. Force majeure was applied again in 2021. The Minister will ensure it will apply again in 2022 in respect of farm payments.

In response to the event, a multi-agency group was established under the chairmanship of the Minister of State with responsibility for heritage at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Membership of this multi-agency group includes, inter alia, members of Leitrim County Council, local representatives, Oireachtas Members, farm bodies, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Inland Fisheries Ireland, the Department of Transport, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and some universities.

Leitrim County Council engaged specialist consultants from RPS Group to undertake a comprehensive examination of the causes of the landslide and the impact it had on the natural and built environment, ecology, water quality and the farming community. A report that was prepared by RPS Group for the Department of culture estimated that there were total deposits of 160,000 cu. m, which is present at varying depths of up to 2 m in the overspill areas. Accordingly, many of these areas remain untrafficable to both animals and machinery and are both unsuitable and unsafe for agricultural or farming use at present.

The Minister visited the site on 19 November, where he viewed at first hand the damage to farm and forestry. He also met with many of the landowners impacted. With regard to the compensation of landowners, his Department does not have a contingency fund. Any ex gratiapayment will have to be sanctioned by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Discussions are still continuing at this point between the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Department will contact the affected landowners as soon as there are any further developments.

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