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I farm: “Mostly ley fields that were reclaimed from mountain ground over the years, and I have some mountain ground too. I run 18 suckler cows and 100 ewes. The cows are mostly Limousin and Simmental bred, and the ewes are North Country Cheviots that are crossed to the Suffolk ram.
Floods: “I had around seven acres covered in sand from the landslides and floods that hit the area last August. I had three foot of sand in places. There was a mile and half of fencing destroyed around my fields and another 600 or 700 yards on the mountain.”
Recovery: “I have the sand lifted and piled up in different places on the farm. I still have fencing work to finish and then the flooded ground will need to be grazed off and reseeded.”
Neighbours: “Most recovery work didn’t start until the recent dry spell. Some [neighbours] had black silt and rubble left on ground which is harder to clean up than sand.”
Cost: “A digger costing £30 an hour soon adds up and fencing is expensive too. Basic Payments are being eaten up to fund the work, and some farmers have had to take out loans. There has been no grant aid released because the political situation at Stormont means there is no agriculture minister in place to sign it off.”
Quotable quote: “Farmers affected by floods in Donegal got grant aid up to €15,000. I wouldn’t need that amount, but some neighbours are out over £20,000 and still aren’t finished.”
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