No commitment to compensation for landowners affected by Roscommon fires
A delegation of local representatives, including Oireachtas members Michael Fitzmaurice TD (Independent Ireland), Claire Kerrane TD (Sinn Féin), Martin Daly TD (Fianna Fáil) and Senator Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael) met with the minister to discuss fires which burned over 500 acres in the Gorthaganny area alone.
Turf banks, family farms, fencing and forestry investments were damaged by blazed which ripped through the area last month during a dry spell of weather. A large amount of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) containing a rich variety of flora and fauna was also burned.
Minister Healy-Rae described the damage as 'a very serious situation that has impacted people's land, livelihoods and long-term environmental assets' but did not commit to providing state compensation.
A well-attended public meeting in Gorthaganny heard that most of the land burned in the fires was not insured. There is currently no government compensation available for landowners who lose forestry to fire.
Minister Healy-Rae said the Department of Agriculture would continue to engage closely on the matter. He also confirmed that district inspectors would be deployed to assess the damage on the ground.
'We have to learn lessons from this and take every step to ensure proper support, coordination, and prevention going forward. My department will continue to engage constructively, and I've asked our local forestry teams to prioritise inspections in the area,' said the Kerry-based TD.
Speaking on Shannonside FM, Roscommon-Galway TD Martin Daly said there was 'no indication' that any compensation would be granted to landowners.
'In fairness to Minister Healy-Rae, he was honest with people there and I think the people who have suffered losses, which some of the representatives from Gorthaganny had, they understood what he was saying to them,' he said.
'Now, they may not have liked all the answers he gave them, but it was an honest conversation.'
The National Parks and Wildlife Service have assessed the area and are preparing a remediation plan for the damage done to the SAC.
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