Lamb fatalities and farmer stress weather woes
BRUTALLY wet and cold weather has been hammering farmers up and down the country.
With many in the throws of lambing and calving and thinking about trying to sow crops, morale within the industry has taken a pounding.
With fields saturated following continual torrential rain, many sheep farmers have been lambing as many as they can undercover, but even bigger stronger lambs have su ered once moved outside.
One west-coast farmer, who lambed many of his flock inside for the first time explained that it has been a ‘torturous’ lambing season.
He told The Scottish Farmer: “You would think that once lambs have a few days strength behind them, they would be fine out in the fields, but that’s just not been the case this year.
“Lambs that look healthy and strong have ended up needing more assistance once they’re out of the shed because they have just been going out and getting battered by torrential rain and cold temperatures. “You’re sending them out onto a soaking wet bed, as well. You go to your own bed for a few hours and lie there listening to the wind and rain and really just dread what you’re going back out to, come daylight.”
Farmers and carcase collection services have been reporting a rise in the number of fatalities.
Even though drier weather has been forecast this week, downpours have seen areas record eight weeks worth of rain in just two weeks.
Many places across Scotland have already had their wettest April on record according to Met Oce figures and there are still another two weeks to go.
Most of the country has already had 100% of its usual April rainfall – while Edinburgh is among the places that has had more than double their normal levels.
In the last few days there have been torrential downpours, one of which brought around two day’s worth of rain to Renfrewshire in less than an hour on Monday, April 15.
It’s these downpours that have tipped Bishopton in Renfrewshire into having its wettest April on record.
Bishopton has had 119mm so far this April, which is equivalent to 49 day’s worth of rain in the first 15 days of the month. Strathallan in Perth and Kinross has also had its wettest April with 113mm falling since the start of the month, exceeding its previous record by 14mm already.
Threave and Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway, are just a few days away from their wettest April on record too. Stirling, Bannockburn, Grangemouth, Bo’ness, Linlithgow, Aberlady and Haddington have had double the rainfall they’d expect for the whole month – that’s about eight week’s worth of rain in just two weeks.
As well as more sheep being lambed inside, cattle are also spending longer periods indoors when they would usually have been kicked out for the spring. This has added to the stress levels, when disease issues emerge and fodder and bedding stocks are put under pressure.
Many farmers are reporting
nd feeling disheartened and isolated as they battle their individual situations.
Rural charity RSABI is on hand to speak to farmers free of charge, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Scotland’s Farm Advisory
Service has also launched a new spring 2024 wet weather webpage for arable and livestock farmers.
Their advice line is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, and o ers 30 minutes of free consultancy advice.