MOD pays £42k to farmer after chopper scares cows to death

£1.9m compo for low-flying aircraft

AN Ulster farmer has been paid £42,700 by the Ministry of Defence after a low-flying helicopter scared his cows to death.

The Co Tyrone landowner is one of a number of animal owners who shared £1.9million compensation for harm caused to hens, horses, cattle, pigs and sheep by noisy aircraft.

A total of 22 payments have been made in the UK over the past four years.

Ulster Farmers’ Union deputy president Ivor Ferguson said: “Low-flying aircraft can have a serious impact on animals and directly affect a farm business. If a farmer has lost stock as a result of a MOD low-flying aircraft it is fair they are compensated.” Claims to the MOD outside Northern Ireland included £240,000 paid to poultry farmers whose chickens trampled each other to death after being spooked by choppers and planes.

A British Egg Industry Council spokesman said: “Low-flying aircraft can cause the birds to smother in a panic reaction.

“Smothering is when the hens all pile in on top of each other, sometimes against an obstacle such as a wall.

“The ones at the bottom suffocate. Many hundreds of birds can be lost this way. The other possible effect on hens from stress is they go out of egg production and the eggs the hens do produce are often poorly shelled and not fit for the table market.” One of the largest payments – £83,125 – was made to a person who suffered head injuries when a horse spooked by a Chinook knocked them over.

A sum of £20,000 was paid for an injured horse that lost its foal in Dyfed. Members of a therapy group also claimed compensation after their tranquility was disturbed.

And £2,200 was paid to the owner of a parrot from Ayrshire which died after being scared by an aircraft. The MOD told the Times it “understands military low-flying can be noisy and unpopular but it is an essential part of operational training”.

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