AN IRISH farmer has been left reeling by the loss of his 10 cattle, who were killed in a lightning strike on a farm earlier this week.
The cattlestrophic tragedy happened in the Butlersbridge area of Co Cavan.
Ten cattle have died in a lighting strike on a farm in Cavan[/caption]
The 10 continental suckler-bred heifers, owned by a farmer from the area, are understood to have taken shelter under a tree in the middle of the field amid heavy rain over the weekend.
But in a freak accident, a bolt of lightning then struck the earth killing the cattle instantly.
The horror strike happened at around 8pm on Friday evening, shortly after a Status Yellow thunderstorm warning issued for the county had expired.
Cavan-Monaghan TD Brendan Smith has offered his condolences to the local farmer.
He said: “It just shows how dangerous storms can be and changing weather patterns.
“I want to say to the farmer I appreciate the huge loss it is to him and it’s a huge shock to hit any farmer.
“We all know farmers go out and tend to their cattle and their livestock and to their land in such a dedicated and diligent manner.
“So it is a huge loss to any individual and I am very sorry to hear of that particular and major loss on a farm in so many ways.”
Mr Smith, who lives in the area, admitted the local farmer had been left reeling by the “frightening incident”.
He said: “It had to be an awful shock to discover that number of livestock dead.
“I know that the loss of livestock through disease or more so in such a rare incident [like this] takes a serious emotional toll on any farmer and family apart from the financial loss.
“Farmers work very hard in rearing and tending to their livestock in a very diligent and caring manner.
LATEST TRAGEDY
“We should always be conscious that farmers in breeding and rearing cattle just do not shut on and off production.
“My thoughts are very much with the farmer in this huge loss to his farm holding.”
Met Eireann had issued a number of weather warnings over the weekend as a surge of humid air settled over the country.
It is the latest tragedy to rock Irish farms after a number of cattle were killed in a lightning strike near Gort, Co Galway, in August last year.
In 2019, eight in-calf heifers were killed on a farm in Moneygall, Co Offaly after being struck by lightning while taking shelter under a bush.
Some 23 cattle, mostly Charolais crosses, were killed in a lightning strike in Co Waterford in 2014.
