Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW ) and Flood Relief, Kevin “Boxer” Moran, has announced that farm losses will now be included in the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection funding scheme.
This scheme has been in place since 2009. Following the 2015/2016 floods, a review of its operations was considered necessary.
Minister Moran said: “My office conducted this review, in consultation with stakeholders such as the local authorities, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the IFA.
“I am pleased to announce that many of the concerns of these stakeholders have been taken into account in the review. For example, the upper financial threshold has been increased substantially from €500,000 to €750,000 and allowances have been updated to reflect different property types, with the inclusion of farmyard buildings as commercial premises.
“I am also delighted to confirm that the assessment of value of agricultural land has been updated using the Standard Farm Output Figure from the Central Statistic Office Census of Agriculture 2013. This will provide more reliable data for each county on a regional basis for the calculation of benefit attached to agricultural land.”
All local authorities have been notified of the revised criteria, which is effective for applications received after June 1. The revised criteria will also give local authorities the opportunity to revisit previous applications which may not have qualified up until now.
“We all know that sometimes small works can reap important benefits for local communities, and I look forward to the continued engagement of local authorities throughout the country with this valuable scheme,” Minister Moran added.
