Defra has permitted the on-farm burial or burning of carcases for farmers affected by the bad weather.

A Defra spokesperson said on Wednesday, "The recent bad weather has been a severe blow to British farmers making it extremely difficult for farmers to dispose of animal carcases. During these exceptional circumstances farmers will be allowed to bury or burn animals on the farm land."

Drifts of snow over 20 feet deep have been reported in parts of the Pennines, West Yorkshire, Cumbria, the Midlands and Wales and though the snowfall was spread over large parts of the country, the worst of the losses appear to be highly localised, according to the NFU. The union said some areas are reporting the deaths of thousands of breeding ewes as the clear up begins.

To support farmers through these difficult times, Defra said it has relaxed rules on driver hours to allow extra time for essential deliveries of animal feed get through to farms and permitted farmers with red diesel in their tractors to help grit and clear snow from public roads to help communities during the bad weather.

The government department has also asked the National Fallen Stock Company to consider reduced costs for multiple collections of stock from the same farm, though NFU has called for a temporary suspension of charges for badly affected farms.