Farmers across Tyrone who were hit by serious flooding in 2017 will be eligible to claim more than £100,000 through a new support scheme.
Some of the worst flooding ever seen across the county devastated several farms, with the new £2.7million fund from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs aiming to reimburse those affected.
Eligible businesses will be contacted by DAERA to inform them if they can apply for the package, up to a maximum one-off payment of £106,323.
Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said: “The extreme flooding event meant that the farming and wider rural communities in the North West experienced significant hardship.
"Farm businesses lost income due to the impact on their land and the cost of removing debris and silt, as well as reseeding to restore it back to productive use.
“So I am delighted to say that this North West 2017 Flooding Income Support Scheme, worth almost £2.7million, is now open to applications. This is a time limited scheme which will close on 12 August 2021.
“The one-off grant payment, which will be capped at £106,323 per farm business, is available for farmers who applied for a Force Majeure in respect of the flooding incident.
Several areas of Tyrone were severely affected back in August 2017, including Glenelly and areas of Strabane.
Ulster Farmers Union President Victor Chestnutt said: “We’re delighted to see Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has officially opened the support scheme for farmers affected by the 2017 flooding.
“Our farmers in the North West area stretching from Strabane to Drumahoe (commonly known as the Glenelly floods, also affecting the Owenkillew Valley), can now apply for the support they need to compensate for the losses incurred and to help restore their land for agriculture use.”
“We lobbied continuously to get support secured for those farmers who completed majeure forms and we encourage our farmers who are contacted by letter to submit their application as soon as possible as the window is very short.”
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