Over 400 farmers have turned out at a protest meeting over flooding of the river Shannon at a hotel in Athlone. The Irish Farmers Association president, Tom Parlon, has called for the establishment of a new River Shannon authority with responsibility for regulation of water levels and the elimination of flooding in the region.
There has been strong criticism of the ESB for its management of water levels at Ardnacrusha. Many farmers at the meeting accused the company of holding the level of the Shannon to a maximum level over the Christmas holidays in a bid to boost electricity generation. But a spokesperson for the company has rejected this claim.
