Karol Winters from Taghmon, Co Wexford, lost two sheds – one of them the main calving shed and another shed. The milking parlour is the only thing that is still standing following the storm. Winters said there were snow drifts of up to 10ft or 12ft. “It’s destruction on a massive scale. It’s the welfare of the animals is the main thing. We have to just keep going, there’s not much else we can do.”

In Cork, five of Jason Kenneally’s grandfather’s sheds suffered damage as a result of the heavy snowfall. Kenneally said it was made all the more stressful, as calving is still ongoing and a freshly calved suckler cow and calf narrowly escaped being injured.

The roof of Matt Barlow’s 30ft lean-to shed in Ballymurn, Co Wexford, buckled after about 8ft of snow drifted on to it. “Luckily no animals were hurt, but it was pretty bad,” he said.

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In pictures: ‘destruction’ as sheds buckle under snowfall on Wexford farm