Emergency Aid Delivered To Farmers

The NI assembly agricultural committee is to hold an emergency meeting to look at the damage caused to farms due to the heavy snow.

Two RAF Chinooks and two helicopters from the Air Corps are delivering emergency aid to farmers.

Thousands of sheep have been left stranded and the helicopters will drop fodder and provisions in County Down and The Glens of Antrim, areas which have been severely affected by the snow.

Vice Chair of the Agricultural Committee Joe Byrne said: "Every day that passes farmers are incurring more and more hardship and loss.

"I called this emergency meeting so we can ensure responses to this crisis are coordinated and communicated as widely as possible and so we can discuss what immediate measures can be put in place to support farmers, alleviate the hardship of animals without feed and assist with the removal of livestock which has been lost as a result of the bitterly cold weather.

"There are still parts of the north which are completely impassable and a number of farmers remain unable to get to their livestock.

"We must all work together to prevent this crisis escalating further and to provide as much support as we can to help the farmers who have been dealt a hard blow by this heavy snow fall."

(CD)