Vol. 574 No. 5
157 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if steps will be taken to assess the damage to land as a result of more than 40 landslides in the Inver-Pullathomas area; if funding will be provided as was provided in Gort, County Galway, to restore the land for farming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27885/03]
161 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if help and support, in particular financial support, will be given to farmers who lost livestock and whose lands were devastated following the landslide in Pullathomas, County Mayo. [27747/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 161 together.
In accordance with a Government decision and following approval by the Minister for Finance, a humanitarian aid scheme is being implemented by the Office of Public Works through the aegis of the Red Cross. This scheme provides for aid to relieve hardship experienced by householders. Assessment by the Red Cross of all aid applications received under the scheme is now almost complete and I understand payments will issue before the end of November.
In response to a request from Mayo County Council, the Office of Public Works provided machinery and personnel to assist in the initial clean up. While I understand the Office of Public Works does not have statutory responsibility for further protection works, I am advised that it is prepared to consider further requests from Mayo County Council for assistance in the form of machinery and personnel, similar to that already provided.
In addition, sympathetic cognisance will be taken of the disruption caused to farming activities by these unfortunate occurrences and where existing applications for aid under the various on-farm investment and installation aid schemes are affected, these will be examined by my Department on an individual basis in the context of the relevant force majeure provisions.
Under EU regulations governing the livestock premium schemes, farmers may be excused from the requirement to retain animals for the retention period if failure to retain such animals arose from circumstances outside of their control. Farmers are obliged to notify my Department of such circumstances within ten days of the loss being incurred. No such notifications have been received in my Department's local office.
Furthermore, my Department is not yet aware of any farmer affected by the landslide whose herd is currently restricted under the TB and-or brucellosis eradication schemes. Farmers who have such concerns are advised to contact their local district veterinary office.
