Farmers in flood-hit Fermanagh are rationing animal feed for fear suppliers will not be able to reach them and their stricken animals next week.

Andrew Wilson, a beef farmer near loughside Lisnaskea, said getting cattle feed to farms close to Lough Erne was complicated.

“The cattle need cake or feed to put on the beef, and not just silage.

“My brother is worried he won’t get feed through next week, so his cattle have had their feed reduced by 50%.”

But Mr Wilson said he and his two farming brothers were making the most of things.

“We are surviving. Our sheds are safe and our cattle are safe, but we have never seen the water levels so high,” he added.

“There are fields with four feet high of water and that’s on farms from Wattlebridge to Enniskillen and Derrylin to Bellanaleck on both sides of the lough.”

As for whether food prices could go up, he said: “I hope so.It’s about time the housewife in the UK started to pay for her beef as it’s about 30% to 40% cheaper here than it is in Europe.”

But a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said the flooding was “unlikely to have any significant on food prices”.

He said: “It is unlikely that the flooding will result in a substantial impact on overall agricultural production in Northern Ireland. However, that is not to under estimate the impact, hardship and disruption caused.”

In a bygone era, Fermanagh cattle farmers used sailing vessels known as cots to cross Lough Erne with their livestock.

The flooding has forced many farmers to refamiliarise themselves with sailing vessels to make their way to their livestock.