Claire Fox

therefore unable to use their generators.”

Milk cooling was another issue for dairy farmers as in many cases the generator wasn’t strong enough to cool the milk. Enniskeane, West Cork farmer Stephen Shorten was without power all last week and was unable to cool his milk.

“We can only milk once a day, and the generator which is wired up to the PTO on the tractor won’t cool the milk, which is a nuisance, but Bandon Co-op have been helpful,” he said.

Teagasc dairy specialist George Ramsbottom said there’s a danger that cow’s milk productivity can decrease when reduced to one milking a day at this time of year, and that farmers should look out for clinical mastitis in their cows.

FBD CEO Fiona Muldoon revealed that 70pc of claims made to them as a result of Ophelia last week were agri-related.

With last week’s weather events in mind, Graham Minogue, head of agri at Zurich, said that there are measures farmers can take to weather-proof their farm.

“In terms of farm buildings you should check for loose sheets on galvanised roofs that could come off. These are simple repair jobs that can be done in time instead of putting them on the long finger,” he said.

“Tying up gates and locking shed doors is a big one before storms. With winter on the way, things like insulation and water pipes must be looked at again. It’s all about risk management and identifying potential hazards,” he explained.