A local farmer is at her wit’s end with snowmobiles tearing up her land and terrorizing her animals.

Anita Walsh of Windy Heights Farm in Portugal Cove-St. Philips says for some time, snowmobilers have been cutting across their land with little to no regard for the damage being done.

She told VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly yesterday that users believe they have an historic right to access traditional trails, but she says the land they own has always been farmland and the access road has always been private.

She says the previous owners allowed some use of the land because they had no animals, but the machines are compacting the soil and the impact on their livestock has been traumatizing.

They have three sows, all which have given birth in the last week.

She says the anxious sows, disturbed by the noise, pace in their pens and piglets have been trampled as a result.

They put up an electric fence, which has been knocked down three times, despite ‘no trespassing’ signs all over the property.

She says in one instance, it was sheer luck that a snowmobiler wasn’t beheaded after striking the fence.

She says posts they’ve erected have been cut down and hay bales they’ve used to block access have simply been pushed aside. “We’ve done it all,” a frustrated Walsh told Open Line.

“We paid a million dollars for this property. We pay $10,000 a month for the mortgage…if we can’t get a full crop and we can’t raise our animals safely,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion, “you’re jeopardizing our livelihood and you’re killing our animals, and it’s heartbreaking.”