This article is from page 6 of the 2009-08-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
CLARE farmers are facing financial ruin this winter as one of the wettest Summers on record has stunted grass growth and now looks likely to cause a severe feed shortage this winter.
Indeed, reports from around the county indicate that some animals are still being housed in sheds at night in particularly wet areas.
According to figures released last week by Met Eireann, Shannon Air- port experienced its wettest July for more than 50 years, with twice the average rainfall being recorded.
“The weather has made the situ- ation very difficult for farmers al- ready this year, with grass growth well behind all year long. The land is as wet now, in August, as it usually is in mid-winter,’ said Clare IFA chair- man, Michael Lynch.
“Grass growth has been disastrous this year. Besides a short spurt in June, it has been behind all year and is putting farmers under real pres- sure.”
According to Mr Lynch, farmers have begun to offload stock in the last number of weeks as the weather means that they won’t have enough fodder to feed them this winter.
“The heavy rainfall has affected all of Clare but there are some areas where cattle have had to be rehoused and put back inside – which is un- thinkable,” continued Mr Lynch.
“We have seen farmers selling stock much, much earlier than they
normally would because of the fear of a lack of grass. It is essential for Clare farmers that the weather im- proves. A lot of farmers are counting on a good August to allow them to make their second cut of silage. ‘The first cut 1s already very light in a lot of areas and if the second cut is not better, then there could be ser1- ous problems. This is costing farm- ers money all over the place and it’s going to get worse unless the weather
improves drastically.”
According to Met Eireann, the wet July was caused by a series of Atlan- tic depressions tracking over Ireland. Despite the rain, there was some con- solation for sun-seekers, with higher than average sunshine also being re- corded at Shannon Airport.
Despite the record rainfall, Clare was spared the worst of the weather. Newport in County Mayo recorded a record 42mm of rain in a one-hour
spell last month, with Dublin Air- port’s wettest ever day long rainfall on record.
The Valentia Observatory also re- corded its wettest July since records began in the area in 1866.