Devastated farmer appeals for equipment

10:06am Monday 26th March 2007

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Can you help a Pembrokeshire farmer who lost almost all his equipment in a farm fire at the end of last month?

Benni Thomas of Lodor Fach farm was alerted to the fire in the early hours of the morning of February 26th by the squeals of a piglet that escaped the blaze.

Firefighters fought with the barn fire for several hours, but Mr Thomas lost a considerable amount of livestock and equipment, some animals that escaped the fire later died of the effects of smoke inhalation.

Mr Thomas is now trying to manage the farm with hardly any machinery or equipment and is looking for second-hand equipment that he can buy.

"We lost a plough, two cultivators, a rotivator, two hay rakes, a mower and scraper, a quad and a fertilizer spreader," Mr Thomas told the Telegraph.

He also lost all the animal feed and feeding buckets and has had to rely on the generosity of his neighbours to help replace them.

The Thomases are also in desperate need of lambing equipment, as their ewes are about to deliver.

"We don't even have a crook to catch the ewes," said Mr Thomas.

"It makes you cry when you stop and think about it," said Mr Thomas. "You just have to drive on and try to learn to live without the things you have been used to working with."

If you have any second hand farm equipment you would be interested in selling to Lodor Fach please ring the farm on 01437 532277.