Weather threat to grazing management

FARMERS throughout parts of Britain have faced problems with grazing, silage and damage to their properties following the recent spate of torrential rain that has swept the country.

Yorkshire, Devon, parts of South Wales, Gloucestershire, the North Midlands and Lincolnshire have all been badly hit by the flash floods.

The biggest threat has been the effect on grazing management, said Promar regional consultant David Burns.

He said grazing management was becoming far more difficult, and the dry matter intake for cows would undoubtedly reduce, with farmers now having to face the prospect of purchasing feed to substitute the lack of grass available for cows to graze.

Mr Burns said although the continuous downpour over the last few days had not caused major disruption of silage operations so far, if the bad whether continued it could cause problems in the future.

NWF Agriculture’s technical manager Tom Hough, said they were not seeing any significant rises in demand for feed so far, but if the weather continued like this for the next three to four weeks there would be a surge in compound. “If it desists we’ll be able to utilise the grass more, but who knows what the weather is going to do.”

The severe weather conditions have also led to rural insurers NFU Mutual receiving hundreds of claims from farmers for damage to their homes and vehicles.

“We’re helping a number of people whose homes and businesses have suffered very serious damage from torrents running off the hills and through their homes,” said NFU Mutual’s claims manager John Kenny.

“While it’s not unusual to get isolated flash floods in the summer, it’s unprecedented to experience so many serious flooding incidents at the same time.”

The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) is also preparing to provide support to those affected by the extreme weather conditions.

RABI chief executive, Paul Burrows said: “The torrential rain has caused considerable hardship in many rural areas as well as towns and cities. Many farming families may be in need of immediate support.

NFU Mutual policy holders should contact their local NFU Mutual office or helpline on 0800 282652 for advice on getting their insurance claims underway.

The RABI welfare department can be contacted on the emergency helpline - 01865 727888.