‘Sheep killed in snow’ boost for farmers
Farmers will receive 90% of the cost of removing sheep killed in snow, up from the expected 75%.
Defra made £250,000 available to help farmers in the worst hit areas with the costs of collecting fallen stock after the snowstorms of March this year.
Just over 1,000 farmers are eligible for the scheme; all will receive funds by the end of this month.
Farming Minister, David Heath said:
“I met some of the farmers devastated by the terrible snowstorms earlier this year and know how critical the cost of removal of the fallen stock is for them. Now that all the applications are in I have reviewed the operation of the scheme, I am pleased to be able to increase our payment to cover the vast majority of their costs.”
NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said:
“This increase will be an extra boost for those farming families in the areas identified by Defra to help them recover from one of the worst spring snow in living memory. We hope this payment is made as quickly as possible.”
