Farmers face huge salvage operation
8 September 2008
Farmers across Northumberland are facing a huge salvage operation after a weekend that saw five inches of rain fall in just 36 hours - creating a torrent of biblical proportions.
In North Northumberland, 100-year-old flood banks were breached by the River Till north of Wooler, leaving the whole valley under water and claiming the lives of hundreds of farm livestock.
Local NFU Branch Chairman, Bob Maxwell, who farms at North Doddington, carried out an extensive search and rescue operation for his sheep, using canoes to rescue some. To get to others, stranded on top of the flood bank, he had to don his diving dry suit and swim out in waters that were well above head height.
"Swimming out, I could see that alongside my sheep were a wealth of wildlife - everything from moles to hares - all trying desperately to find dry land," he said. "It really was a once in a century event."
The weekend's deluge was the culmination of a month of very wet weather, which has impacted hard on the local farming community. Whereas the harvest in Northumberland would normally be 70% gathered in by now, grain merchants are reporting that so far this year only a third of the local wheat has been delivered.
The weather has also impacted on the quality of the harvest with very little if any milling wheat, destined for bread, making the grade. With soils utterly waterlogged, the farming community is also running out of time to get next year's crops in the ground.
"The repercussions of this summer's weather will be felt long into next year - and not just by arable farmers but the livestock sector too," said NFU County Chairman Tom Neill, who farms at Mindrum, North Northumberland.
"We have heard stories of hundreds of animals being swept to their deaths in this weekend's floods and beef, sheep and dairy farmers are also facing a shortage of winter fodder, with hay making a total washout and the second cut of silage also looking less and less likely. Straw for winter bedding also looks set to be in very short supply.
"The result will be a huge salvage operation right across the county, with arable farmers desperately hoping for some dry weather to give them an opportunity to get what they can from this year's harvest and perhaps also get on with autumn planting.
"Livestock producers will also be hoping to get a second cut of silage and will be praying for some drier weather to give their pasture a chance to recover somewhat."
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