Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this matter for the Commencement debate this morning. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, to the House.

The west coast was hit by Storm Bert in the middle of the last general election. Many other parts of the country and the UK were also affected. On Friday, 22 November, a deep Atlantic low-pressure system brought extremely wet and windy weather to Galway and Connemara, with 60 mm of rain falling within a short period. Saturated ground, combined with snow accumulation, led to a surface run-off into streams and rivers, which led to a rapid rise in local rivers. The storm resulted in significant levels of damage to roads infrastructure. The run-off of the precipitation caused landslides on some of the hillside areas of Maam and Leenane in Connemara in particular. The impact of the storm resulted in the destruction of fencing on many upland farms. In many cases, in the first place, reaching those areas involved helicopter drops to bring in the fencing materials to put the fences in place. Thousands of euro worth of damage was caused. It is necessary to replace the fencing. Farmers can prove the fencing was in place because they have receipts for the fencing they put up in recent years. The investment of two or three years ago has been wiped out and the fences must be replaced.

Unfortunately, there were also cases of sheep being swept away in the floods. One farmer lost at least 70 ewes, which were drowned or entangled in trees and wire and were recovered the next day. He also had the cost of disposing of the carcases that were recovered. An act of God, if one likes, in Storm Bert has resulted in accumulated costs for farmers.

There is a precedent in the support scheme in the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth which was put in place for farmers after a similar storm there. Only active farmers with herd numbers who were in the basic investment scheme, BIS, were supported. They were able to provide receipts for the damage and loss and the replacement cost of fencing, including helicopter drops, and the loss of sheep and the disposal of carcases. I urge the Minister to look at the issue, accept the precedent from the Cooley Peninsula and put in place a similar scheme for the Maam-Leenane valley of Connemara on foot of the damage caused by Storm Bert.Unfortunately, with the impact of climate change, this could be more likely to happen in the future. With higher rainfall and a greater chance of storms happening, there is potential for greater damage across Ireland, which could impact on farmers up and down the country. The Department must be cognisant of this. In light of the precedent of the Cooley Peninsula scheme, it is right and fair that a similar scheme be put in place for the area of Maam and Leenane to compensate farmers for the added costs and disruption resulting from Storm Bert.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator and apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Heydon. I know the Senator has spoken to and engaged with him directly on this issue in the past. He sends his apologies that he cannot be here to deal with the matter in person today.

I will make a few points on his behalf. Like the more recent Storm Éowyn, Storm Bert is part of a pattern of extreme weather which can result in flooding which will affect the country and has done so. Last November, Storm Bert became the second storm of the 2024-25 season, bringing with it the high winds and heavy rains the Senator mentioned in his contribution. Fortunately, its impact was not as persistent and severe as that of Storm Éowyn in late January. Nevertheless, wind and rainfall warnings were issued for affected areas, alerting people to the possibility of severe flooding. However, no forecast can fully cover the effects of unpredictable weather on local topography. I understand that the Maam and Leenane areas of County Galway were seriously affected. Senator Kyne has described the severe rainfall and thawing snow that led to major flooding and landslides in the affected areas.

It is recognised that the drystock sector is vulnerable to losses arising from extreme weather events. Sheep farming is clearly no exception to that. There are existing supports that are specifically targeted at the sector in recognition of its vulnerability and regional importance, particularly along the western seaboard. These supports include multi-annual schemes co-funded under the CAP strategic plan along with annual schemes fully funded by the Exchequer. Helping farmers with income resilience gives them the tools to cope with extreme weather events in the best way on their own farms. On Monday, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, announced the opening of the new national sheep welfare scheme, which is worth €22 million to farmers this year. The budget for the scheme is €7 million more than the budget for its predecessor scheme in 2024 and will allow participants who fully complete the required actions to claim up to €13 per breeding ewe. The scheme's actions are practical, easy to implement and suitable for both upland and lowland flocks. The closing date for applications is 15 May and the Minister strongly encourages all sheep farmers to read the scheme's terms and conditions on the Department's website and to submit an application by that date.

The sheep welfare scheme is separate from but complementary to the sheep improvement scheme, which is funded until 2027 under the CAP strategic plan. The sheep improvement scheme, SIS, supports farmers in carrying out actions that improve animal health and welfare on their sheep enterprises. That has a budget allocation of €100 million. Approximately 16,000 farmers received payments totalling €18 million for participating in the first year of SIS. Under the 2024 national sheep welfare scheme, just over €15 million was paid to 16,300 farmers who completed the required actions.

It is positive that market conditions for sheep farmers are currently buoyant and expected to remain so, at least in the short term, because of supply constraints in both the domestic and overseas markets. However, as is the case with all severe storms, we must review the lessons learnt with a view to better planning for such events, business continuity management and building resilience and readiness across all the sectors.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for the response and the sentiments expressed. It is unfortunate that the Minister, Deputy Heydon, cannot be here this morning. The reply does not answer the question. It does not state whether it is possible or likely that the Minister will provide a stand-alone scheme for farmers in the Maam-Leenane area. As I have said, I have come here because of the precedent set on the Cooley Peninsula, where a scheme was put in place. In light of the precedent of that scheme, which the Department and the previous Minister sanctioned, it is right and proper that a similar scheme be put in place for farmers affected in the Maam-Leenane area. A stand-alone scheme should be provided for a select cohort of active farmers who have suffered damage and loss, allowing them to directly apply for some recompense for additional expenditure caused by Storm Bert. That is my request, which I ask the Minister of State to bring to the Minister, Deputy Heydon, as I will certainly do on behalf of the farmers in the area.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I fully hear Senator Kyne and the excellent and valid points he has made. I will, of course, take his remarks back to the Minister and I know the Senator will engage with him further on this matter. It is important to reassure the Senator that the Government will continue to prioritise policies to protect and enhance farm incomes, including those in the sheep sector. Under the programme for Government, the Government is committed to increasing supports for those sheep farmers over a five-year term in office, ensuring straightforward measures to encourage uptake. I will bring back the Senator's specific point to the Ministers, as I have said, and I have no doubt the Senator will as well.