IFA ready to weather alert
The IFA’s executive council has adopted a strategy designed to alleviate the worst effects of severe weather conditions for farm families and rural dwellers, and has sought a meeting with the national emergency response committee to discuss this strategy.
It contains key measures to reduce the impact of prolonged freezing weather on rural communities, and ensure that people are not isolated from essential services.
At its centre are farmer members across IFA’s network of almost 1,000 branches who have equipment available that can assist in keeping minor and secondary routes open.
On their behalf, IFA has offered winter help, subject to local authority back-up.
It wants the authorities to designate sites across the county as grit and salt collection points, during severe weather, and provide contact numbers for rural dwellers to request grit and salt if it is not possible to travel to the main dump sites.
IFA suggests that authorities enlist the services of farmers on a contract basis in each county, who are available on request to clear particular rural danger spots, who can use their own machinery and equipment such as snow ploughs from the local authorities.
Such procedures go on an ad-hoc basis in some counties in Ireland already, and operate very efficiently in many local authorities in Britain.
Councils must indemnify farmers who grit roads during severe weather, said IFA, and farmers and community groups who voluntarily keep roads, school yards and other public areas clear.
IFA has also joined the calls to councils to encourage clearing of snow and ice from footpaths in front of commercial businesses and private households — by clarifying and changing the law so businesses and individuals will not be legally liable when clearing snow.
IFA suggests that local radio stations, local authority websites, and recorded message services carry full details of disruption to water supplies.
Well done to the Farmers Association for coming up with a commonsense approach to cold weather difficulties.
Already individual farmers have used their equipment to help countless weather victims, but if they can be indemnified and hired on contract in severe weather situations, rural Ireland can get moving properly again.
Presumably, it will be well into the New Year before local authority bosses consider this strategy, which was launched by IFA on December 23.
So it might be next winter before it can be put into force, but surely local authorities cannot look this gift horse in the mouth.
