Independent councillor Tony Ward has once again called on the Government to provide an adequate compensation package for farmers impacted by the ongoing flood crisis at Lough Funshinagh.
In a motion tabled at the March meeting of the local authority, Cllr Ward said it was over eight years since the start of the flooding crisis at the south Roscommon turlough, and yet the matter was still a major concern. He called on the Council to write to both the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Agriculture urging them to provide compensation for farmers.
Director of Services Greg O’Donnell said the next step would be for the tendering of a contract for a hydro-ecological study to take place. He said this process would take up to two years.
Cllr Ward’s motion received widespread support in the chamber with councillors Laurence Fallon and Donal Kilduff saying a permanent solution must be the priority.
Cllr Tony Ward said he would like to see Lough Funshinagh remain a Special Area of Conservation and called on the Minister for Agriculture to back-date payments to 2015 and keep them in place until a solution is found.
