AS TEAGASC reported rainfall has been 442 per cent higher than normal in the Dublin area and 245 per cent in Birr, it said broken weather was causing havoc with spraying and planting operations.
In its weekly crop report for the week ending May 19th, it said rainfall was 271 per cent of normal in Cork, 185 per cent of normal at Johnstown Castle and the lowest rainfall was in Belmullet, with 126 per cent of normal rainfall.
“Broken weather is causing havoc with crucial spraying operations in winter and spring cereals and the planting of potatoes and maize,” it said.
It reported growth in spring cereals was very variable with many crops showing nutritional deficiency symptoms. The agriculture and food development authority which has just issued new guidelines to dairy and beef farmers on how to cope with the weather crisis, said planting the main potato harvest is sill ongoing.
“Up to 100 per cent of potatoes are planted in some areas but 40 per cent of the area has yet to be planted in northern counties. Application of herbicides and fungicides continues to be extremely difficult. Blight has been reported in southern areas,” it said.
The crop report said soil temperatures for the week were lower than average in the Cork, Birr and Dublin monitoring stations.
As broken weather is forecast to continue, one of the largest co-operatives in the country, Dairygold, has offered a €25/per tonne rebate on compound feeds purchased by farmers this month.
Farmers have been reporting they have had to rehouse their stock and feed them compounds because of the lack of grass on which animals would now normally be feeding.
Dairy farmers with 80 milking cows say it is costing them €500 per week to keep their animals fed and in some areas, grass is being cut in the fields and fed directly to cattle which have been rehoused.
Experts fear unless there is a dramatic improvement in the weather this week, fodder shortages are inevitable this autumn because farmers will not be able to win the harvest needed to keep their stock fed. The west and the southwest seaboard has been hardest hit because of the heavy soils there. This means farmers are unable to put animals out to graze because they would damage the pasture.
Low temperatures have also put grass growth back not only in the west but over much of the country where the taking of first cut silage has been badly delayed.
The Irish meteorological service has forecast rainfall again this week but say it will not be as heavy as in previous weeks and there should be some bright spells.
An Irish Farmers Association spokesman said most areas would need at least one week of dry weather for harvesting work to begin.