Longford farmers unhappy over claims of private land flooded with EU programme

Farmers in the midlands are on a collision course with Bord na Móna over claims that thousands of acres of privately owned farm land could be flooded by plans to re-wet peatland for the EU nature restoration programme.

Over 30 land owners along the Longford-Roscommon border are meeting tomorrow night in Lanesborough amidst fears that the land they own adjacent to Mountdillon and Erenagh bog will be flooded because drains along the perimeter of the bogs have been blocked with silt over many years by Bord na Móna peat harvesting operations.

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Bord na Móna management wrote to land owners two months ago to advise them they were starting the work, but Midlands North West MNEPO Ciaran Mullooly says there is deep concern among the farmers that thousands of acres of land not owned by Bord na Móna could be flooded next Winter because there's nowhere for the water to go.

"These farmers are not against the re-wetting of bogs " MEP Mullooly says, " but they sought commitments from Bord na Móna that the drains along the perimeter of these sites would be cleaned out and then fencing erected for safety purposes . There was an understanding that farmers could report areas worst effected to Bord na Móna. This happened several weeks ago yet no inspections have taken place and now we understand the company is to proceed with rewetting plans for next Thursday.

"We are talking about the livelihoods of small farmers here – I understand that Bord na Móna does not even own some of the land they intend to wet and these issues need to resolved before anyone moves forward

"I urge Bord na Móna's to visit the site as they promised they would and meet the land owners worst affected."

Bord na Móna are committed to re-wetting 40,000 hectares of bog under the nature restoration programme but already there are concerns over the ownership of some of the bogs concerned

"I wrote to Bord na Móna CEO Tom Donnellan last Friday seeking a commitment that the inspections would take place before any rewetting and I expect the company to accede to this," he continued.

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"It would be completely acceptable of the people who own the land alongside the bog are totally ignored and then this land actually floods next winbter and in the coming years – this is an emergency and I expect Bord na Móna to visit farmers on the ground and examine the sites that have already been reported to them."