Farmers over much of the country are experiencing severe disruption to their business because of poor weather which had delayed planting of potatoes and cereals and has put back silage harvesting.
According to Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, the wet weather is causing major problems with the sowing of spring crops and spraying operations with all crops.
Teagasc's weekly crop report said that up to 30 per cent of sugar beet and 10 per cent of spring barley remain to be sown. "Of even greater significance is the fact that virtually no maincrop potatoes were planted," said the weekly report.
"Planting of maincrop is almost at a standstill, and is now going to run much later than last year. Larger growers are now faced with planting much of their crop in the second half of May," it added.
In the south of the country, where there is a concentration of dairy farming, farmers have been unable to let their cows out on grass because of the danger of damaging the sward.
In some areas of Co Cork, many dairy farmers who are out of silage have had to bring their animals back into houses and are feeding cattle grain to animals.
Rainfall totals for most of April were above normal almost everywhere and, according to Met Éireann, it was the wettest April for six years and the wettest year since 1994 at Malin Head in Co Donegal.
Silage contractors say it could be a number of weeks before their machines will be able to harvest the first silage cut which is normally harvested in the first week of May.