Storms causing disruption for farmers in the East of England

The county saw wind up to 67mph over the weekend.

Tractor tyre tracks with puddles of water in a farmers field in North London UK
Author: Jasmine OakPublished 23rd Jan 2024

Farmers across the east of england have been dealing with the consequences of storm Isha.

The county saw wind up to 67 mph causing damage throughout. The Met Office warns strong winds will continue, although not as bad as the weekend.

Charles Hesketh from NFU East told us the farmers work has been delayed due to the recent weather and that things like fallen branches can prevent them from getting to their fields.

Not only this but farmers "in rural counties are often the first point of call for helping to clear blockages." in the community.

So many of them have been out in the local area, clearing debris and fallen trees.

With the bad weather expected to continue Charles explained how many farmers will be preparing by "checking on their roofs, checking the stores... their land...fences... gates. "

They'll be making sure anything at risk of getting blown away in the wind is tied down or put away and much more which is all "time-consuming."

And for people whose profession is a "lifestyle" having more things to look out for is "an added stress and added complication - something which farmers are used to, but they certainly don't want or need at this time of year."

And this isn't the first time Farmers have had to deal with extreme weather. Only 3 months ago the UK saw the impact of Storm Babet, which caused huge amounts of damage from flooding, and farmers are still dealing with the consequences.

"We still have a lot of areas that are significantly waterlogged where usually a farmer would have done their winter or spring drilling...and so they are concerned about what the long-term damage the soil might be.

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