A bid by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to a sister agency, the Department of Finance and Personnel for £2 million to aid those farmers hit by the recent flooding has been welcomed by elected representatives here.
Among them is Councillor Tom Elliott, MLA who is the vice chairman of the Assembly's DARD committee, and farms near Ballinamallard.
He said that although DARD officials had yet to complete their assessments of the flood damage, he was glad that attempts were already being made to secure the funding needed to assist these farmers to get back on their feet.
Erne West Councillor, Bernice Swift had raised the question of compensation for residents in the Sillies River basin. She said she was encouraged by the announcement of £2million compensation for flood damage.
"I want to see the much-deserving farmers in the Boho/Derrygonnelly/Springfield area whose livelihoods have been affected receive their needed recompense for hardship, and I want to impress DARD Inspectors to visit these farmers affected by recurring, recent floods in these areas to observe the disaster caused."
Tom Elliott said the freak weather conditions that resulted in the recent floods that caused so much damage and disruption to many households had also caused some extensive damage to crops and livestock.
"Damage such as the destruction of crops or loss of breeding stock represents a major financial burden, effectively cutting off future income flows and wasting the many months' of work and money already invested in growing the crop or breeding the livestock."
He said waterlogged land could also have a knock-on effect for many months by delaying the planting of subsequent crops, so the repercussions on those farms unfortunate enough to have been hit by the recent floods could be far reaching.
"I am glad to see that the lobbying of the Minister, both individually and as a committee, has resulted in DARD returning a prompt bid for assistance.
"It would indicate to me that there has been some appreciation of the scale and magnitude of the problem."
The DUP's Paul Robinson said he doubted if DARD had shown enough willingness to explore all possibilities so no farmer affected by flooding was left out.
"I believe that every farmer affected should receive an interim advance on their Single Farm Payment. There is no indication that the Minister's Department has even sought to investigate that a derogation required to allow an advance might be available.
"Clearly, no payments will be made if DARD doesn't even make a request, and I fear this approach categorises the Minister and her department's approach to the entire situation. There needs to be a flexible approach, and cognisance must be taken of the longer-term problems caused by wet weather.", he added.
Councillor Robinson said any special funding package would have to be agreed by the Executive, unless money can be found from DARD, and he said the Minister would have to explain the consequence of her non-attendance, 'as they struggle with rising costs and a lack of support from her department'."
Yesterday (Tuesday), the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Michelle Gildernew announced the publication of the Government Response to the Independent Flood Management Policy Review.
The document, 'Living with Rivers and the Sea', sets out a flexible framework for the delivery of Flood Risk Management for the next 10 years.
At the core of this policy is a joined-up government approach to tackle flooding, from rivers, the sea, surface water, urban drainage systems or reservoirs.
This framework will specifically target areas at risk from flooding and work with the public through new Flood Risk Management Plans to protect against it. It will address environmental and sustainability concerns in relation to the EU 'Floods Directive' and also the Water Framework Directive.
The Minister said: "The completion of this review is very timely. Last month, we experienced some of the most serious flooding to have occurred in the North of Ireland in the last 50 years. I have seen at first hand the heartbreak flooding can cause, and sympathise fully with everyone who was affected.
"During extreme weather conditions:", she went on, "it is not possible to prevent flooding in all circumstances.
"However, we can be better prepared for flooding and its consequences. This new framework is designed to reduce the impact of local flooding. It provides a sound foundation for fighting flooding risk over the next decade through improving both our awareness and flood protection measures across the north."
The Minister said she was thankful to her Executive colleagues for their co-operation in DARD's effort to strengthen existing policies. Without the public and stakeholders' input, this new policy would not have been possible, and she hoped they continue to engage in future consultations as flood risk plans emerge.
