Guinness drinkers have been told not to panic despite the bad news yesterday that malting barley yields are expected to drop by at least 20 per cent because of the current bad weather.
Malting barley has been particularly badly hit by the wet spell, according to Mr Jim O'Mahoney, the chief tillage adviser with Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority.
Irish malting barley is used exclusively to brew Ireland's most famous drink by the St James's Gate company.
A spokesman for Guinness said that although it was far too early to predict the outcome of the harvest, it would be unprecedented not to have enough Irish barley to meet the needs of the brewery.
"We have been in this situation before some years ago when a bad harvest was expected, but no shortfall occurred," said Mr Pat Barry, the company's spokesman.
Mr O'Mahoney, who was speaking at the National Tillage Open Day at Oak Park, Carlow, said there were six weeks before the malting barley would be harvested.
"There are severe difficulties out there because of the weather but, as yet, this is not a disaster," he said.
"Because we produce far more malting barley than is required for brewing, I cannot see there being a shortage," he said.
However, he said, to achieve decent yields, the weather would have to get better soon because harvesting was only six weeks away.
He said a new disease, ramularia, which causes blotching on barley and has led to substantial yield losses in the past two years, was spreading rapidly.
Mr O'Mahoney said farmers who lose a crop, or part of a crop, due to waterlogging were not required to deduct the area when applying for EU arable aid. This is the first concession made to farmers due to the poor weather.