New fodder crisis as farmers hit by searing drought

Mercury hits 27C as record highs to last into next week

FARMERS are facing the prospect of a new fodder crisis this summer – because conditions are too dry.

With very little rain over the last six weeks, grass growth rates have slowed significantly – halving over the past week.

It comes just weeks after the Government moved to import thousands of tonnes of fodder following the cold, wet winter and spring.

As freezing conditions persisted into April, farmers warned grass growth would be delayed by weeks. Now farmers in Leinster are dealing with the worst of the drought conditions, and many are facing new fodder problems. Farmers are being forced to feed grass that was earmarked for second-cut silage and concentrates to cattle.

Ireland baked in temperatures of up to 27C yesterday with the warm spell of warm weather now expected to last into next week.

Thousands flocked to beaches, forests, lakes and parks as Ireland basked in what promises to be the finest spell of summer weather for 42 years.

Traffic jams occurred at seaside towns yesterday as Ireland revelled in weather hotter than in the Canary Islands.

Irish Water has warned widespread water restrictions could be imposed from late summer if the dry spell continues.

Levels of ‘raw’ water have plummeted in lakes, rivers and aquifers and will continue to fall as the heatwave takes hold.

“We’re eating into water we use for summer and autumn… we may have pressures later in the year,” said a spokesperson.

WHILE the current period of fine weather isn’t necessarily a portent of drought, it is a “forgotten hazard”, experts suggest. Ireland hasn’t experienced a prolonged period of drought in 40 years, but it appears that one is long overdue.

An analysis of historic weather records led by Dr Conor Murphy, of Maynooth University, suggests lengthy spells of drought across seasons were recorded in the 1800s, 1820s, 1850s, 1880s, 1920s, 1930s, 1950s and 1970s. While there was a “short, sharp” drought episode in 1995, and incidents in 2006 and 2013, it has been four decades since the country was gripped with a severe water shortage.

“Drought is a complex thing,” he said. “We looked at meteorological droughts which relate to rainfall. We can also talk about hydrological drought with low flows in rivers which can lead to issues with water supply. There’s also