VETERINARY IRELAND’S animal welfare committee has warned farmers that although flood levels have subsided, they could still face difficulties throughout the rest of winter.
Liz O’Flynn, a Galway-based vet who chairs the committee, yesterday issued guidelines for farmers on the importance of realistic planning for the winter/spring period. “The flood levels may be receding but there are potential major problems . . . because of the damage which has been done,” she said.
“While the farmers, the Department of Agriculture and all the services responded magnificently to the plight of farms and animals, there remains danger to animals because of fodder quality and continuing flooded pasture.”
In future, she said, farmers would have to consider carefully where their stock spends winter so they would not be cut off from feed by flooding. Farmers should be aware of all animals as they reach their calving, foaling or lambing dates. It was also vital to take into account the nutritional value of hay or silage, which will be poor if saved during the wet months of last summer. “The quality of a lot of the winter fodder which survived the floods is poor and we are advising that such fodder be supplemented with concentrates.”
The guidelines, she said, stressed the importance of access to shelter and dry lying areas. Where natural shelter is unavailable, shelter may be constructed using bales of straw. Feed should be placed in clean troughs and clean water must be available at all times. Water dispensers and containers should be checked often, particularly in freezing conditions.