Limerick water connection fees cut
A sizeable cut in water connection fees has been secured by Co Limerick farmers who campaigned against the level of water charges imposed by their local authority.
Water costs in Limerick were among the highest in the country, with an annual levy of €200 for each connection.
This meant farmers with multiple connections, serving fragmented holdings, had to pay up to €1,000 each year. In addition, the farmers were charged for all water used.
However, following lobbying by the local IFA, the council agreed last year to review the charges and promised to have the process completed by last month.
Following the review, Limerick County Council said it would hold the cost of the first two connections at €200 each per year, but all subsequent connections would be reduced to €100.
In a water charges survey carried out by the Farming Independent last year, Limerick County Council was ranked as one of the most expensive in the country.
The fixed charges levied on farmers in Limerick were four times that applied in Monaghan and double what farmers in the neighbouring counties of Kerry and South Tipperary were paying.
The average annual local authority fixed charge was just over €100.
- Martin Ryan
Originally published in
