22 June, 2012

This month's floods in Somerset have caused damage estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds to farmers.

It is estimated that at least 60 farms in the county are having to deal with a shortage of grass or hay for animals to graze on as a result of the floods.

According to guardian.co.uk, many local farmers are blaming the Environment Agency for failing to deal with the aftermath of the downpours sooner.

Curry Moor farmer Tony Bradford is one of many who claim to have been let down by the Environment Agency.

In an interview with thisissomerset.co.uk, he said: "There has been no dredging work for years because of cutbacks. We have been asking for more to be done but the answer always comes back that there's no money. You are never going to stop flooding on Curry Moor but you can certainly do things which will speed up the evacuation of water."

A few farmers outside of Somerset have been sending supplies in order to help those in need of seeds and grazing materials in the coming months. However, it would appear that the floods will continue to have an effect on local farming businesses long after the damage is cleared.

Source: Vertical Leap