AFTER the coldest Easter Day on record, the Bishop of Hereford,
the Rt Revd Anthony Priddis, has issued a dire warning about the
state of farming.
In an open letter to clergy in his diocese, and to farmfers
across the country, Bishop Priddis warns that farming communities
are facing their most difficult time since the devastating
foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001.
Bishop Priddis writes that it is "vital that our farmers, their
families, and whole rural communities are assured at least of our
prayer and support in these straitened times, with as much
understanding of their predicament as we can show".
He urges people to help in whatever practical ways they can,
including buying food locally when possible. He asks parishioners
in village communities to "reassure people of the prayer and
concern and support of us all across the whole of our diocese".
The continuing freezing temperatures have caused farmers huge
problems: grass is not growing, and sowing has been delayed because
of waterlogged ground. The heavy fall of snow before Easter, in the
middle of lambing, has imposed a further burden on livestock
farmers. It is thought to have killed thousands of sheep and
newborn lambs, burying them under feet of snow.
The worst affected areas are in Wales and the north-west of
England, including Shropshire and the Pennines.
The Christian charity Farm Community Network, formerly the Farm
Crisis Network, operates a helpline for farmers. Its helpline is
manned by more than 300 volunteers, who also help farmers fill in
forms, and attend meetings with bank managers and accountants if
needed. A spokesman said that calls to the helpline had increased
sharply in recent weeks. "The situation was difficult enough for
farmers before the snow - that has just compounded things."
On the Isle of Man, which has seen the heaviest snowfall in many
years, some Holy Week and Easter services had to be cancelled
because of ice and snow.
The Priest-in-Charge at St Luke's, Baldwin, in the foothills of
Snaefell, the Revd Janice Ward, said that the congregation had to
cancel both their Palm Sunday and Easter Day services as the track
to the church was unsafe. Mrs Ward said that farmers on parts of
the island were struggling: "Some still don't know how much they
have lost, as they can't get to some of the remote areas to find
their animals."
The Bishop of Sodor & Man, the Rt Revd Robert Paterson, has
visited some of the worst affected areas. He asked all
congregations to pray for stricken farmers, and has produced a
special prayer that asks for hope for those whose livelihoods have
been threatened by the bad weather.
The Welsh government has promised to find ways to assist
farmers. It has temporarily lifted strict EU regulations to allow
farmers to bury dead livestock on their farms instead of paying to
have them removed. The National Farmers Union is lobbying the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for more help
for farmers.
One couple in Wales, however, were able to go ahead with their
Easter wedding, despite the snow, thanks to the efforts of
parishioners and the Area Dean, who swept away two feet of snow to
ensure that the bride could get to the church on time.
The couple, Alison Jelley and Michael Roberts had booked St
Berres's, Llanferres, Mold, in north Wales, for a spring wedding,
but woke that morning to heavy snow. The Area Dean of Mold, the
Revd Adrian Copping, organised villagers to ensure that the wedding
went ahead.
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