Boyne Fishermen's Rescue and Recovery responded to a call to help cattle in Co. Louth escape from floodwaters.

The voluntary group received an animal welfare call regarding the cattle in Ardee.

The animals had become stranded after Met Éireann's Orange rainfall warning for eastern counties, including Co. Louth, caused widespread flooding.

The crew were alerted at 12 midday last Tuesday (July 22), and managed to get the herd safely back to higher land where there was no risk to their safety or well-being.

The rescue service said it was an important task, as they wanted to safely avoid putting the herd under any further unnecessary stress.

The crew said after the rescue operation, they returned to the boathouse where equipment was restaged, ready for the next emergency call.

Seperately, Minister for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon recently said his department are  exploring the possibility of a “common approach” to addressing the impact of extreme weather events on farms.

The minister said that the unpredictable nature of extreme weather such as flooding events like this in Co. Louth, “does not lend itself to a ready-made scheme template, given that local effects vary with each event”.

In recent years, the department has provided a number of schemes to support farmers who have been impacted by extreme weather, mainly flooding.

However, Heydon highlighted how these schemes were created on the grounds of unique circumstances, providing targeted support to farmers severely affected by extreme weather events.

This Co. Louth case highlights how these events are becoming more common and unpredictable, as experiencing such a flood after a long spell of dry weather is typically unforeseeable.

The Irish Rural Link has also called on the government to provide additional support for the community and voluntary sector in preparation for extreme weather events such as this.