Kilkenny IFA chair, Brendan Hickey, has noted greater levels of “danger” currently besetting farming in the county, as a result of the recent heavy bout of snowfall, advising farmers to proceed with caution and “trudge along as best they can”.
The county was one of the worst affected by the recent cold weather spell, which has left much of Kilkenny coated in a blanket of snow, with up to 10 inches having reportedly fallen in certain parts over the weekend.
Hickey has admitted that while farmers are resilient and are generally managing to “acclimatise” to the challenges presented by the cold snap, it has made farming more treacherous.
According to the IFA chair, who is a dairy farmer in Urlingford, north Kilkenny, farmers have been plagued by power outages and precarious road conditions, which have left many rural premises inaccessible, impeding milk collections and feed deliveries across the county.
Speaking of the challenges currently facing farmers in Kilkenny, Hickey, said:
“I suppose one of the biggest problems we have is the power outages and trying to keep water flowing, especially if the power doesn’t come back before tonight when temperatures are due to drop down.
“The other biggest thing is getting in milk lorries, I was lucky enough now myself as the milk lorry got in there last night and collected my milk, but I’d say it wasn’t easy.
“I know a lot of lads who will be due feed deliveries this week, after the Christmas period, but whether or not the lorries will be able to reach them is another question. A lot of roads in the likes of Tullaroan, Kilmanagh, Coon and Muckalee are pretty much impassable.”
Hickey noted that while many farmers, particularly within the dairy sector, are fortunate enough to have generators to avail of during the power outage, enabling those with winter milk contracts to continue operating, many rural homes and businesses do not possess the same advantage.
“It[the snow] makes everything a lot tougher. What you normally do in an hour, is now taking three hours and then fact that a lot of us don’t have power is compounding problems. No ESB is as big as a problem for people as impassable roads,” he argued.
Kilkenny
According to Hickey, many shops in his home town of Urlingford have also been affected by the heavy snowfall as supplies of certain commodities, including milk, bread and daily newspapers, have ceased since yesterday.
Hickey told Agriland that despite its hardships, the poor weather conditions have showcased the best of humanity, with many farmers in the area volunteering throughout their communities, deploying their machinery to help clear roads and lending a helping hand wherever needs be.
“When something like this happens you see all how strong communities are, regarding the way people look out for each other, calling on their older neighbors and that kind of thing.
“I saw my own neighbor, he has his own JCB digger and he was out clearing the lanes this morning so all the neighbours could get out and get up to the village. There’s a lot of that going on, the worst of times brings out the best in people,” Hickey said.
While Hickey has not yet been made aware of any farmers in dire straits as a result of the high levels of snowfall, he has warned of the growing level of concern surrounding the potential worsening of weather conditions, including the frost which is forecasted later in the week.