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NI agriculture committee to hold emergency weather meeting NI agriculture committee holds emergency weather meeting
(about 1 hour later)
The assembly agriculture committee is to hold an emergency meeting to assess the damage caused to NI farms by the severe weather. The assembly agriculture committee has held an emergency meeting to assess the damage caused to NI farms by the severe weather.
The committee will be briefed by the department of agriculture's permanent secretary. The committee was briefed by the department of agriculture's permanent secretary.
The Glens of Antrim and parts of County Down have been particularly badly affected by snow drifts.The Glens of Antrim and parts of County Down have been particularly badly affected by snow drifts.
Two RAF Chinooks and two Irish Army Air Corps helicopters will help deliver food supplies to stranded animals. Two RAF Chinooks and two Irish Army Air Corps helicopters are helping deliver food supplies to stranded animals.
Thursday's meeting has been called by the vice-chair of the agriculture committee, Joe Byrne. During Thursday's meeting, members of the committee clashed over the use of the helicopters.
"Every day that passes, farmers are incurring more and more hardship and loss," Mr Byrne said. Arrangements have been made for Irish Army Air Corps aircraft to join the operation at the request of Agriculture Minster Michelle O'Neill
"I called this emergency meeting so we can ensure responses to this crisis are co-ordinated and communicated as widely as possible and so we can discuss what immediate measures can be put in place to support farmers, alleviate the hardship of animals without feed and assist with the removal of livestock which has been lost as a result of the bitterly cold weather. Trevor Clarke of the DUP said he did not care if it was the Irish Air Corps or the French air corps, but he believed politics was being played with the matter.
"There are still parts of the north which are completely impassable and a number of farmers remain unable to get to their livestock. His party colleague, Paul Frew, who chairs the committee, asked the senior government officials who were briefing the committee, whether the minister had requested help from the Territorial Army (TA).
Noel Lavery, permanent secretary at the Department of Agriculture (DARD), said he did not believe the assistance of the TA was requested and "that was purely a matter for for the minister and other ministers".
Sinn Fein's Oliver McMullan asked if there would be a cost for the use of helicopters.
Mr Lavery said he believed there would be a cost for the use of RAF helicopters but there would be no charge for the Irish Army Air Corps aircraft.
Mr Clarke interrupted to say this was a "planted question".
Committee members criticised DARD for the delay in its response to the heavy snowfalls, which started on Friday 22 March.
DARD director of finance Gerry Lavery told the committee that on Monday 25 March "we started to become aware of the extent of the problem".
Joanne Dobson of the UUP described the plight of farmers in her Upper Bann constituency who were struggling to cope, and said she was "quite cross to hear that you started making plans on Monday".
"I just find that truthfully hard to take in," she added.
Mr Lavery said a central civil contingencies group, chaired by the head of the civil service, had met to discuss the severe weather on Sunday 24 March.
ConcernsConcerns
"We must all work together to prevent this crisis escalating further and to provide as much support as we can to help the farmers who have been dealt a hard blow by this heavy snow fall". Earlier, Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill said she would raise the concerns of farmers she had met on the ground over recent days.
Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill said she would raise the concerns of farmers she had met on the ground over recent days.
"There's a few key issues that keep coming up and one is the issue of fallen stock, so how to deal with our dead animals and that's something that's quite expensive, so that's one of the areas I'm bringing to the executive on Thursday," she said."There's a few key issues that keep coming up and one is the issue of fallen stock, so how to deal with our dead animals and that's something that's quite expensive, so that's one of the areas I'm bringing to the executive on Thursday," she said.
"I believe that there is a scheme that can be put in place that can help meet the cost of that and then also secondary to that also looking at some sort of hardship payment.""I believe that there is a scheme that can be put in place that can help meet the cost of that and then also secondary to that also looking at some sort of hardship payment."
She also welcomed the assistance from the Irish Army's Air Corp. She also welcomed the assistance from the Irish Army Air Corp.
"Two of their helicopters are coming along and that is in addition to the Chinook that has actually been out over the past number of hours," she said."Two of their helicopters are coming along and that is in addition to the Chinook that has actually been out over the past number of hours," she said.
"So we'll have a lot more people delivering feed to animals, which is something I'm sure farmers will very much welcome.""So we'll have a lot more people delivering feed to animals, which is something I'm sure farmers will very much welcome."