A major deal has been struck with farmers and landowners in Tipperary as part of the proposed Shannon-Dublin water pipeline project, with many set to receive an average of €100,000 each in compensation for land access. The voluntary agreement was announced by Uisce Éireann, together with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA). The package includes several different types of payments: an early “sign-on” payment, a wayleave payment, crop loss and disturbance payments, and a special goodwill payment. The overall cost estimate of the pipeline project (excluding certain contingency allowances) is over €3 billion, though in worst-case scenarios it could rise to over €10 billion. While many farmers are welcoming the compensation agreement, some environmental and land-use groups express concerns about the ecological impacts, loss of land, and the potential for delay in project rollout.