High rainfall and expenses mean summer 2023 could be one of the worst on record for Irish farmers, according to one farming expert.
Persistent heavy rain in July and August has prevented many farmers from cutting hay, according to Irish Farmers’ Journal Deputy Editor Catriona Morrissey.
She told Newstalk many farmers have seen their baled hay completely destroyed.
“We're looking at farmers in the Shannon area who got no hay saved at all,” she said. “As many as 5,000 bales of hay and silage not made in that region.
"They are going to have to replace that at a cost of about €30 per bale or more.”
This could cost approximately €150,000 for farmers in the region.
A flooded farm in West Cork, Ireland. Image: Karlis Dzjamko/Alamy Live NewsMs Morrissey also said tillage farmers “have been very badly hit in August”.
“Unfortunately, what we're seeing is that they have had their barley downgraded in the last cases from malting grain to feed grain," she said.
“That’s costing about €120 a tonne.”
July 2023 was recorded as the wettest summer on record by Met Éireann as Storm Antoni led to severe flooding in several areas.
Met Éireann put out an Orange warning in the south-east and Yellow warnings throughout the county this weekend throughout the country as Storm Betty approached.
Heavy rainfall previously labelled the 2008 and 1990 seasons as the worst summers on record for Irish farmers.
Other years affected by rainfall include 1974 and 1985.
