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EXCLUSIVE

By Sean Moriarty

Kerry farmers have backed a plan to keep the Irish Community Rapid Response(ICRR) Air Ambulance in the sky.

The Millstreet, County Cork-based service could be grounded unless over €330,000 is found immediately to fund the charity service.

Since its launch in July 2019 the service has flown in 250 missions but, without any sort of Government support, it needs public funds to pay pilot wages, fuel and to cover other costs including its requirement to pay VAT to Revenue on all purchases.

Earlier this month the charity put out an urgent plea for funds to keep the service operating.

Last week, the charity raised €61,848 of a €400,000 target it set for a two-week GoFundMe campaign.

As a result the service was cut from seven to five days to ensure it could carry on for another six weeks, during which time it said it would try and come up with more money.

Farmers in Kerry are being asked to donate €20 each to help run the service.

The idea was first mooted at a directors’ meeting of Kerry Co-Op farmers in Tralee last week and since that meeting it has gathered momentum and could be expanded Munster-wide.

Firies-based dairy farmer Tom Murphy is a member of the 23-strong Kerry Co-Op farmers board and he was first to put the idea to his colleagues.

“We have arranged a meeting with the Air Ambulance team in Tralee on February 6 where we are going to discuss a three-year plan with them,” Mr Murphy told the Killarney Advertiser. “After that meeting we hope to come up with a plan to get all of the farmers in Kerry and Munster behind it.”

There are around 3,300 members in the co-op and this does not include dairy farmers who supply other creameries or non-dairy farmers.