The National Farmers' Union has urged the government and landlords to support struggling farmers who have lost livestock due to the extreme weather.
Many farmers in the hills and uplands reporting that it is the worst spring in living memory and are calling for help. There are farmers who cannot afford to remove lost animals due to the sheer scale of the losses.
NFU Director General Andy Robertson has spoken to Defra Farming Minister David Heath to highlight concerns for farmers who could yet be forced out of business due to the snow and freezing temperatures.
Robertson said: "Hill farmers and their stock are well used and well equipped to deal with snow during winter – this is a natural part of the changing seasons. What has made this so exceptional is the quantity of snow, the prolonged low temperatures and strong winds so much later in the season when sheep are at their most vulnerable in late pregnancy or at the start of lambing.
"Farmers have done everything possible to prepare and care for their stock – bringing them down to lower levels where possible, stocking up on fodder and for sheep used to coming inside, bringing them into available buildings.
"Anecdotally, we have heard that snow is 10s of feet deep due to drifts on some north facing hills, with potentially hundreds of sheep dead underneath. It may be a few months before the snow on north facing slopes melts enough to see the real impact.
"Financially, this could drive some farmers out of business, and those on the brink need all the support they can get. It is bad enough to lose stock but it adds insult to injury to then have to pay large sums to have them removed. There is scope for such costs to be minimised under the Fallen Stock Scheme and I have asked the Minister to ensure that there is clear direction to make full use of this."
The unusual wintry conditions have come during the peak lambing season, a key time for sheep farmers, making the situation worse. It's thought hundreds of animals will have perished in the snow in recent days, with west Cumbria, the Pennines, the Peak District, Shropshire and north Wales all hit.
"It has been a distressing and challenging time for many sheep farmers who always look forward to this time of year and it's incredibly saddening when factors out of your control ruin all of your hard work" said NFU livestock board chairman Charles Sercombe.
"You really expect decent weather at the end of March and I fear significant numbers of lambs will have been lost in the snow."
The weather conditions have put an 'extraordinary strain' on the industry as farmers' sheep are currently going through the lambing season.
"These are unusual conditions and are totally out of character for the time of year. Farmers are resilient and are working around the clock to look after the welfare of their animals" said NFU Vice President Adam Quinney.
"Sheep are adapted to living outside but it is unusual to be lambing in this weather and we do expect to see some losses in areas hardest hit. I've talked to families where everyone is out all day and night just trying to get feed out there.
"The work that's going on is incredible and farmers are just exhausted, but they are continuing to work hard to ensure that as much that can be done is being done in these unprecedented circumstances."
The daily collection of milk has also been badly affected with several farmers having to pour away overflowing tanks. Losses of power in badly hit areas is also adding strain on businesses.
Feed delivery problems will be eased by the Department of Transport announcement that it has agreed to the temporary relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers' hours and working time rules for those involved in the distribution of animal feed.
Andrew McCornick, who farms in Dumfries, Scotland said: "We are well through our annual lambing so the snow couldn't have hit at a worse time.
"We have managed to dig our way around most of the fields with ewes and lambs in them. We managed to get feed to those that we have found and we have been digging many of them out of the snow.
"The drifting snow is so bad that there are still many vulnerable sheep that we are still battling to get to and we know that we are likely to face losses when the snow has cleared.
"We have sufficient hay, silage and concentrates to last until the middle of the week by which time clearing the farm road will be a priority as we will need animal feeding by this time. To compound problems, snow has fallen off a roof and burst the fuel line to the house and drained all the heating oil. We will also need to get this repaired and then get a fuel lorry in."
Sercombe said the NFU is in discussions with Defra over how to help farmers challenged by the unseasonable weather as there are no compensation programmes available.
"Many sheep farmers are again looking at large financial losses. That's why it is so important that consumers continue to buy British lamb in support of those farmers who’ve been dealing with the bad weather over the last year.
"The NFU Fodder Bank is available to help farmers who are low on supplies find feed and bedding for their animals. NFU members can take full advantage of the service to appeal for stocks or list any fodder they have to sell by logging on here.
"Finally, the industry is very grateful to the Prince’s Countryside Fund which is donating £219,000 from its emergency relief fund to go to help farming organisations like RABI during the Easter period. We have also taken many calls from members of the public expressing support for the hard work that farmers are undertaking caring for animals in the snow."
NFU President Peter Kendall said: "We have been overwhelmed with dozens of calls and emails from members of the public and we thank them for the messages of goodwill.
"The best way of helping is to donate to the three main farming charities – RABI, The Addington Fund and The Farm Crisis Network – and we are liaising closely with them to ensure those farming families in financial difficulty get the help and support they need.
"The weather has completely knocked the stuffing out of the industry over the past year which has been unrelenting with heavy rain, floods and now this long winter. We will continue to work with our members in the worst affected parts of the country identifying areas where we can help them get through this difficult and traumatic time."
