The recent cold snap could have claimed the lives of thousands of sheep and cattle, farmers warned.
It is feared that livestock has been buried under snow drifts and starved as farmers struggle to reach remote areas of their land.
“There are hundreds of farmers who have sheep buried,” Northern Ireland farmer Catherine Crawford told the BBC on Monday.
“There are animals going to die here and are dying; we need help out in the rural areas,” she added.
Scottish National Farmers Union member Carolyn Lamb admitted they were “very, very, anxious,” at what they would find when the snow cleared.
The icy weather could not have come at a worse time for farmers, who are in the middle of lambing season.
Thousands of livestock feared dead in cold snap
