Shannon takes a cut to aid farmers

Shannon Airport has moved to assist farmers severely affected by the fodder crisis by donating up to 1,000 bales of silage from its 300-acre landbank.

Management at Shannon moved its three-year silage cut forward by two years following a request from the Irish Farmers Association.

The airport agreed to the request, even though the next major grass cutting was not due until 2015. Harvesters moved in at 3pm yesterday and the first bales were ready for distribution just 90 minutes later.