Damage to grass growth has grave implications for all farming sectors, reports Sean MacConnell, Agriculture Correspondent
For most urban-based people the continuing bad weather is an unpleasant irritation which probably can be addressed by booking a sun holiday this year.
But for Ireland's farming community, the worst May/early June weather in memory is proving to be disastrous across all its sectors.
Even if the weather improves dramatically - and there is no evidence that it will - farmers will need at least one full week of good weather to make any progress against the setbacks they have already experienced.
Irish farming is based on grass growth and the farmer's ability to manage what is one of the country's greatest assets.
But this year the incessant rainfall and low temperatures have meant that in many cases grass cannot be exploited because ground conditions have made it too difficult to harvest.
Most Irish farms rely on silage (preserved grass), which is harvested from mid-May to the end of August in a series of cutting operations. It is estimated that 50 per cent of the 20 million tonnes of silage harvested each year is cut between May 15th and June 15th.
Following this first cut, the bare fields are fertilised with slurry and closed off for several weeks to allow the grass grow for either a second cut of silage or for late summer grazing of cattle.
But because the land has been so wet, and grass growth has been so poor due to the low temperatures, it is estimated that not more than 15 per cent of this first cut has been achieved this year. This means that there is no new crop of grass coming and therefore no late summer grazing.
They are also unable to put their cattle out to graze on grass that they have failed to harvest for silage because the ground is too soft and the cattle hooves would cut up the grassland and destroy it.
Livestock farmers are being forced to rehouse their cattle and feed them grain or other substitutes, increasing costs dramatically.
On dairy farms, milk yields have fallen and on the beef farms, animals are not making the weight gains which should have been achieved from grass, adding to the losses being suffered.
The major milk-processing companies reported last week that the amount of milk they are receiving has fallen by between 3 and 5 per cent. In addition, there are growing concerns that the poor conditions have already led to a dramatic fall in fertility in dairy cattle.
On the tillage farms, the story is just as bad. Last year, Irish tillage growers achieved the highest yields in the world. This year, many will be lucky to get their crops at all. The inability to put machinery into the fields to spray the winter and spring cereal crops has had a dramatic impact on crops already stunted by lack of growth caused by low temperatures.
High yields are achieved by constant spraying to remove weeds and prevent diseases which reduce growth. Many of the cereal growers have not been able to spray their crops since mid-May.
Many Irish cereal growers have switched over in recent years to maize production and there are reports from around the country of maize plants rotting in the ground under the plastic sheeting used to start the crops off.
Specialist potato growers have also been experiencing losses because of their inability to get into the fields to harvest early crops, which should be on sale by now.
But the greatest threat posed is the early arrival of potato blight, which is settling on the main crop, which in most cases is three to four weeks behind in development because of poor growing conditions.
Some farmers, especially those in Co Meath, have found their main crop, mainly the Rooster variety, rotting in the ground because the ground temperatures were pushed down by rainfall.
The problems facing vegetable growers in north Co Dublin have been well documented and unless they receive some form of aid many will go out of business.
The opportunity available to the growers to plant crops for harvesting later in the year is passing and in many cases land is still waterlogged.
Sheep farmers are perhaps not as hard hit, but they, too, have been having difficulties in getting their silage harvests and have been unable, in many parts of the country, to have their sheep shorn.
Perhaps it is a sign of a growing maturity in the farm organisations that they have not been shouting for unlimited help from the other social partners to ease their pain.
However, the Taoiseach has been asked by the Irish Farmers' Association and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association to look at the problems facing the sector, and developments are expected next week.