Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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46. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the Shannon Callows flood scheme; if he is aware of ongoing issues raised by those affected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8505/24]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister for an update on the Shannon Callows flood scheme and the ongoing issues raised by farmers there, particularly by the Save Our Shannon Organisation, which has corresponded with the Minister about these issues. He will be well aware that from Athlone to Meelick, farmland has been destroyed by flooding and farmers are under huge pressure concerning fodder, which is costly and scarce. Will the Minister provide an update on the scheme?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Government fully recognises that there was an exceptional flooding incident and event in the Shannon Callows late last summer which prevented some farmers from completing normal traditional harvesting of silage and or hay. This left affected farmers in a serious situation requiring them to purchase fodder to maintain animal health and welfare during the winter months. It was the first time there was any intervention to support flooding on the callows. No Government had ever done this prior to my announcing, on 7 November last, a new scheme - the Shannon Callows flood scheme - to support affected farmers in the Shannon Callows. I allocated funding of approximately €800,000 for the scheme. This allowed for a payment rate of up to €325 per hectare to this scheme.

11 o’clock

The Shannon Callows flood scheme is operated from within my own Department. Given the urgent nature of the assistance required, payments commenced issuing to farmers last December. The expression of interest letters, which included the application form, issued on 17 November to approximately 230 farmers. A further 47 expression of interest letters issued on 7 December. As of 19 February, 268 of the 277 were paid.

This scheme was for farmers with LPIS parcels in the Shannon Callows special area of conservation that were impacted, as determined by the Department's observation team utilising the area monitoring system, and which were claimed by farmers on their basic income support for sustainability, BISS, application last year. Farmers were identified as being impacted by fodder loss on dates between 2 July 2023 and 29 September 2023.

For those who did not receive an expression of interest form, it is possible for the herdowner to make use of a procedure for seeking an internal review. To date, we have received 64 requests for review from farmers who were not identified by the Department as having lands in the Shannon Callows SAC that were flooded in late summer 2023. My officials are processing these requests and a decision on the outcome of these reviews will issue to the herdowners concerned as the reviews are processed.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for the update. Along with many others, including many of the farmers concerned, I welcomed that funding, which I acknowledge. Does the Minister have any idea of the timeline for dealing with the 64 requests for review that have been made? Farmers are obviously under great pressure. I refer to financial pressure in particular but this has also had a substantial impact on their mental health and that of their families. They have been put under great pressure. Some have got some bit of compensation but others have not. Issues with the area monitoring system have been raised repeatedly. In some cases, it has failed to identify land with 2 ft or 3 ft of water on it. I came across this myself. A number of farmers have come to me with cases of a farmer on one side of a drain getting an expression of interest form and compensation while a farmer with land on the other side of that drain did not. That tells me there is an issue with the AMS. That really needs to be looked at and I ask the Minister to do so. A large number of farmers have received some small payment but another large number have received nothing at all. Will the Minister look at the failure of the AMS in respect of this scheme? It needs to be looked at.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Each of those who have given an expression of interest having not originally been identified is having their submission looked at. The AMS is being used to verify those appeals. In any scheme like this, there have to be boundaries and conditions attached to make it possible to administer. This particular scheme has been confined to farmers who have land within the Shannon Callows SAC area. As I have said, 268 out of 277 who have applied have been paid. As I outlined earlier, another 64 requests have been received from farmers who were not identified as having lands that were flooded in the Shannon Callows SAC. Each of those requests is being considered and worked through. I expect answers within the coming weeks as the requests are all processed. The vast majority, 95%, of the others have received a payment.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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A farmer whose land was separated from another farmer's land got an expression of interest form, his land having been identified by the AMS, and got compensation. The farmer whose land was separated from that first farmer's land by a drain did not. That tells me there is an issue with the monitoring system. I again ask the Minister to look at that because it is not fair to farmers to have to rely on a system that clearly has not worked. The Minister could visit the area given the concerns that have been put to him by the Save Our Shannon Organisation.

The scheme was first announced as the "Shannon Callows Flood Scheme", which is still the wording used on the Government website. It then very quickly became the Shannon Callows SAC flood scheme. Who determined that a change was to be made and that compensation was only to be paid to people within the SAC? Whether land that is flooded is within the SAC or just outside of it, it is still flooded by the Shannon. The impact is no different. One set of farmers will get the compensation while another will not because of the SAC condition. That is deeply unfair and should be looked at.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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This scheme was particular to the Shannon Callows SAC. There are obviously instances of flooding in areas across the country where there is no flood scheme. This is the first time we have ever done this. It has never happened before. The challenge in any scheme like this is determining where to draw the boundaries and the lines. The issue raised by the Deputy and others related to the Shannon Callows in particular. There is a Shannon Callows SAC. With regard to the administration of the scheme, it is those within that SAC who get the payment. People often make the case that there is no benefit to an SAC designation. In this instance, there certainly is because it is the basis of the terms and conditions for applications. I accept that there are always issues as regards where the boundaries are and where the line is drawn. That is always challenging. However, in this instance, 268 of 277 applicants have been paid while another 64 are being assessed. I have no doubt that some of these will get payments where they can show they were within the SAC and met the criteria and where any issues with the initial assessment are clarified. However, it is restricted to the SAC area.