IFA Environment and Rural Affairs Chairman, Harold Kingston, has called on Environment Minister Alan Kelly to confirm that farm businesses will not be burdened with additional water costs following the Government’s recent decision to reduce charges to households.
Mr Kingston said, “Farm families have for almost a decade paid for water supplied by local authorities. These charges have continued to increase over the years. It would be completely unacceptable to farm families if farmers and other businesses that already pay for water are called on again to subsidise the cost of water to private houses – given the recent decision to further reduce these charges”.
“IFA will be engaging directly with the Department of Environment, the CER and Irish Water on this issue. We will also again request that the practice of double billing for water be brought to an end. It is farcical that a farm family will receive a bill for the water used in the home from Irish Water and then a separate bill from the local authority for water used on the farm. After all it is all coming in the one pipe”.