The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has compensated farmers £2 million over four years because low-flying aircraft have terrified livestock to death.
An East Sussex poultry farm was compensated the largest amount. £79,041 was paid out after hundreds of birds died due to a Chinook helicopter flying above the farm causing panic to ensue, according to Daily Mail.
Around £250,000 has been compensated to poultry farmers because of MoD helicopters and planes. The loud noises can cause hens to feel frightened, which causes panic.
A spokesman for the British Egg Industry Council told the newspaper: "Low-flying aircraft can cause the birds to'smother in a panic reaction.
"Smothering is when the hens all pile in on top of each other, sometimes against an obstacle such as a wall.
"The ones at the bottom suffocate. Many hundreds of birds can be lost in this way."
The Ministry of Defence website states that outside exclusion zones, it is "inevitable" that people living in less populated areas will see some low flying training.
"The MOD takes the issue of safe low flying extremely seriously and understands that military low flying can be noisy and unpopular but it is an essential part of operational training," the website states.
"The MOD is constantly striving to ensure that such disturbance is kept to an absolute minimum and that the burden of noise pollution is as evenly distributed as possible throughout the UK Low Flying System as a whole.
"All flying complaints are treated seriously, while we have a responsibility to ensure that military aircrews are fully trained and prepared for operational duty, we continue to do all we can to minimise disturbance to the public."
