Leitrim tops list for fodder crisis helpline calls

Analysis of the 960 calls received on the Department of Agriculture’s animal welfare helpline indicates that Leitrim is the county worst affected by the fodder crisis.

Since the beginning of emergency fodder support at the end of April, 127 out of the 960 calls received came from Co Leitrim. This represents 3.45%, or more than one in 30, of the county’s 3,673 farmers.

Two bordering counties, Sligo and Cavan, were the only other counties where calls to the animal welfare helpline represented more than 1% of farmers. There were 83 calls from Sligo, representing 1.9% of the county’s 4,395 farmers.