MANY farm families across the western are going through a second week of hardship in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn with thousands of ESB customers in Galway still without power.

Farm leaders have now called on the Government to put a taskforce in place, focusing on better preparedness and aftermath measures following major weather events.

Last week, IFA Chairs from the five Connacht counties met in Carrick-on-Shannon, seeking the setting up of the task force to ensure that basic services such as electricity, water and phone coverage can be restored a lot quicker than happened after storm Eowyn.

Connacht IFA Chair, Brendan Golden, told the Farming Tribune that there was a lot of annoyance and frustration at the length of time it was taking restore basic services to rural parts of the West of Ireland.

“Things like the absence of back-up generators at water reservoirs; the risk that trees pose to powerlines; and the wipe-out of telephone services – both mobile and land lines – must be addressed as a matter of urgency,” said Brendan Golden.

He said that he had heard of cases where farmers had to draw water from rivers to give their livestock a drink last week adding that there was an obvious solution to water shortage issues, namely in the provision of adequate back-up generators by Uisce Éireann.

IFA Deputy President, Alice Doyle, who met with the IFA County Chairs in Carrick-on-Shannon, said that while the people on the ground were working hard to restore power and water ‘there must be a whole review as to how we ended up in this situation’.

“While the short-term target must be on restoring water and electricity, there must also be a focus on preparing better for an event like this in the future. There is a real fear that the focus will move off these issues until it happens again,” she said.

IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche said that there were deep concerns about the impact that Storm Éowyn was still having this week on farm families.

“Many rural households remain without power and water, creating significant challenges for daily life and farm operations. The loss of power and water has disrupted farming activities and left many households struggling to manage basic needs. This is particularly hard on families with young children and elderly members,” Teresa Roche said.

She also urged everyone in rural areas to check in on their neighbours to ensure they were safe and had support during challenging times. “A simple call or visit could make a huge difference, especially for vulnerable households,” she said.

Teresa Roche also encouraged farm families to avail of the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme set up to help households facing financial hardship due to storm-related damage. More information on the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme can be found here Gov.ie – Humanitarian Assistance Scheme.

Pictured: Connacht IFA Chair, Brendan Golden