Water woes build for Borders farmers

Kate Smail • Published 6 Jul 2010 12:48 0 Comments

LOCAL farmers are facing the worst water shortage since the 1920's.

Just 28 per cent of the expected rain fall has been recorded at the monitoring station at Eskdale Muir, meaning some farms have run out of water altogether.

The dry weather on the back of the country's hardest winter in living memory is expected to have far-reaching consequences for farmers in years to come.

Ian Macdonald, who farms at Whitmuir near Selkirk, is the Regional Chairman of the Lothian and Borders branch of the Scottish National Farmers Union, he told the Border Telegraph: "The situation really is getting dire.

"The lack of water means that crops, already damaged after the hard winter, are now struggling to grow. The lack of crops means that many farmers like me are now wondering how to feed and provide bedding for their animals.

"Despite conserving strategic supplies of straw etc to help us through times like this, the tough winter means that most of this has already been used. Farmers were already in a vulnerable position and this dry weather is just exacerbating the problem."

Christine Gray, of Sunnycroft Farm near Lindean, said farmers across the regions are facing the same problem. We're all in the same boat.

"We've just cut our first hay and it was an incredibly small cut, I can see us using it for feed long before the winter as there is no fodder in the fields. We're all struggling at the moment but I've lived through weather like this before and I'm sure we'll get rain soon - this is Scotland after all."

A representative fro the Scottish National Farmers Unions said: "It was clear from meeting our members at the Highland show that problems with a shortage of rainfall is affecting livestock and arable farmers across the country. Many will already be going to the expense of irrigating their crops. Long range forecasts suggest a break in the weather in the coming days and for many farmers that will be a welcome reprieve."

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