A dairy farmer in Co. Galway has told Agriland that the biggest concern he has had in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn, is keeping his cows and calves alive.
The farmer, who did not want to be named, has been without power and water since the storm, and has been using a generator to run his farm since last weekend.
His farm has over 100 milking cows, and he has had 47 calves in the last 10 days. Next Monday (February 3), he will have been calving for two weeks.
“I’ve had a generator since last Wednesday, and I’m having to draw water from the river for cattle to have a drink.
“The generator is costing me €150 a day plus VAT. Then it’s costing me €100 a day to run. I don’t even want to think about what the whole thing is costing to be honest,” the dairy farmer added.
Storm Éowyn
The farmer said that the “lack of water” on his farm following Storm Éowyn is his biggest problem.
“Water is the big one, you can get power with a generator, but you can’t get clean water. The cows are drinking out of the river, I haven’t got the facilities to filter it,” he said.
“We’re feeding calves with whole milk because we’re afraid to use the powdered milk because the water isn’t treated. That’s our big fear, that we’ll bring in salmonella or something through the water.”
The farmer said he uses roughly 15,000 liters of water every day. This number has increased because it is calving season.
“A freshly calved cow is drinking 70 liters in the first 12 hours after calving, then washing the milking parlour, and the bull tanks,” he said.
But despite the difficult situation on his own farm, this Co. Galway farmer is also concerned about the impact the storm has had on the entire farming community where he lives.
“There are people worse than me.
“There are elderly people with no running water. I’m fit and healthy,
“I’m able to go and pump up water and keep animals alive. That’s all I want to do keep animals alive. Everyone is feeling the brunt of the storm,” he said.