Farmers count the cost of snow storm

Farmers count the cost of snow storm

27 March 2013 - by BY JOANNE FLEMING

AN absolute disaster — that's how local farmers, whose land and livestock have been battered by blizzard conditions this week, have described the impact on their livelihoods.

Appeals for financial help for farmers in light of the worst snow storms in 50 years have been growing, and were made in person to Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill as she toured a farm in Kilcoo yesterday.

The minister’s visit follows the severe snow and winds experienced in Northern Ireland since last Thursday evening, which also left many homes without power, and is in advance of an Assembly debate on the issue tomorrow.

Thousands of animals are feared dead and access to many more is still restricted, with many left many unable to reach their animals in the middle of the lambing season. The emergency services, Red Cross, and now the RAF are now working together to provide basic supplies to people snowed in for days.

Mike Grant, whose farm on the Hilltown Road in Kilcoo hosted the minister on her tour of some of the worst affected areas in Northern Ireland, was able to point to the collapsed roof of his shed and the small number of sheep he had managed to save.

“Sheep have been killed and are dying outside,” he said. “I have 600 ewes and have been limited in how many I can bring in to shelter. I have been walking miles every day.

“The cost of the damage is the last thing I’ve been worrying about. The minister said she would try her best to help us.”

Neighbouring farmer Dan Devlin said he had not been quite as badly affected but that many were in a dire situation.

“We are trying today to get the roofs cleared of snow,” he said. “I said to the minister ‘can you help us?’

“She was discussing the possibility of erecting temporary structures to shelter animals. We also talked about the problem with insurance for farmers.”

Speaking at the Mr. Grant’s farm, Ms. O’Neill praised the farmers and their neighbours for their community spirit.

“It has been a difficult 12 months and now we have this extreme weather,” she said.

Ms. O’Neill said she hoped to make help available and would be bringing the issue to the Assembly tomorrow in a bid to provide “some sort of support”.

She added: “It is only fair and right to see whether there is a hardship or compensation payment that can be made. After all, we are depending on these people to produce our food.”

Elsewhere in the district farmers have been badly affected in the Dromara, Drumbo and Bryansford areas.

Winnie Lavery, whose 92 year-old father Peter O’Hare lives in a remote farmhouse on Dromara’s Dree Road, said they had had serious concerns about his health.

“He needs oxygen 24/7 and we were worried about keeping his machine going,” she said. “The oil tanks bust with the weight of the snow and with the generator on we were running a high risk.

“My father has had a series of strokes and needs medication daily. We had to go over two fields to try to get out to the chemist.”

Mrs. Lavery went on to say that their road should have been cleared from the snow.

“We should have been one of the priorities,” she said. “We have come to a standstill on our farm. We still have a lot of livestock in trouble and we do not even know how we are going to find the others. We are dealing with 20 feet drifts.

“It’s been an absolute disaster.”

Councillor Desmond Patterson, who has a farm in Bryansford, said it was 50 years since the local countryside had seen such snow falls.

“It hasn’t been as bad as this since 1963,” he said. “The snow has been heavy and has done a lot of damage. I have not been able to access my sheep through the snow drifts but I hope to get to them in the next day or two.

“There is no feed about, just whatever they can scavenge.”

Councillor Patterson said he was not hopeful of finding many alive. He said he had also lost two shed roofs due to the weight of the snow and estimated it could cost him around £20,000 to repair.

“All the farmers have had heavy losses and some who have started up recently will be in a dire situation,” he said. “There is the money, that has been allocated to other projects by the Department of Agriculture, to help farmers.

Farmer Ivor McNally from Drumbo agreed something needed to be done.

“Due to the snow the roof collapsed on one of my cattle sheds,” he said. “We have had no electric here for three and a half days, caused by the snowdrifts.

“One calf is dead, three have pneumonia. The electrics are all hanging down, there is a lot of water in the yard and a few trees have blown down.

“The DRD didn’t clear the roads here; they would have needed snow ploughs.”