More than 10 tonnes of cattle and horse feed have been donated by feed merchants Dodson & Horrell to farmers in the West Country that have been affected by flooding.
Entrepreneur and Dragons Den star Deborah Meaden, who lives locally, accepted the feed on behalf of the community.
“It is hard to imagine what they have been going through since the floods hit here weeks ago,” she said.
“It’s bad enough to be flooded out of your home but the worry about the welfare of the livestock and other animals has been a real concern.”
The Somerset Levels have experienced the most extreme flooding for more than 2 decades and experts have said it could take 2 years for the farmland to recover.
“It has been a terrible time for farmers here on the Levels —and we don’t forget those affected in other parts of the country too — but the devastation that we have all had to face has been heart wrenching,” said James Winslade from Burrowbridge, whose farm has been under water for almost 8 weeks.
“The response from everyone both here in the West Country and further afield has been amazing and, at times, overwhelming. The donation from Dodson & Horrell is very generous and the cattle and horse feed donated will help all the affected farmers enormously in the difficult months ahead.”