Flood
Farmers complain about flooded fields due to constant rain
Nadine Wilkens, farmer and owner of a horse boarding house, brought her animals to safety from the flood. photo
© Christian Charisius/dpa
According to the Lower Saxony farmers’ association, hundreds of thousands of hectares of fields are flooded. Fortunately, only a few stables were so affected that animals had to be brought to safety.
According to the Lower Saxony, almost every farmer is Farmers’ Association is currently affected by flooding of its fields and damage caused by moisture. The background was the large amounts of rainfall in the past few weeks, the rural population of Lower Saxony said in Hanover when asked by the dpa.
It is currently not possible to accurately estimate how many agricultural areas are directly affected by flooding from nearby rivers or other bodies of water.
“Several hundred thousand hectares of fields and grassland are flooded,” said Landvolk President Holger Hennies to the dpa. Hundreds of farms were also affected by flooding, “but fortunately only a few farms were so badly affected that stables were also affected and livestock had to be evacuated,” said Hennies.
Horses brought to safety from floodwaters
For example, on the Hunte in Oldenburg, the flood situation has worsened. Four horse farms in the Bümmerstede district were informed by the city that there was potential for danger and that they should ensure that their horses were evacuated in an emergency.
As a precaution, Nadine Wilkens has already brought some of her animals to safety, although no evacuation has yet been ordered by the authorities. “They’re like our children,” said Wilkens. Several horses are now staying with friends.
“The solidarity among farmers is enormous. Everyone helps everyone,” emphasized the Lower Saxony farmers’ association. Only a few stables with dairy cows would have had to be evacuated. However, accommodating them is a particular challenge, as replacement stables must also have the necessary milking technology. This is a stressful situation for particularly affected farmers.
The Bremen farmer Carsten Schnakenberg has also been fighting tirelessly against the floods since Christmas. “You can’t really wind down, even if you go to bed,” said the farmer from the Timmersloh district. However, the solidarity among the affected farmers is enormous.