Farmers paying €2,000 in water charges before using a drop, senator warns

Farmers with fragmented landholdings face rising costs from multiple water meters, even when no water is used at all

Fianna Fáil senator Paul Daly called for a customer charge as opposed to numerous meter charges.

The plight of farmers who have to pay €2,000 a year for water even before they turn on a tap has been raised by Fianna Fáil senator Paul Daly.

A farmer himself, in Co Westmeath, he has launched a campaign seeking that farmers with multiple land parcels would pay a single customer charge, rather than paying for multiple connections.