With temperatures in the south and east set to get close to or over 27°C in the next few days, farmers should prepare for the hot weather.

The first thing to make sure is that there is sufficient water for cows to drink. Slow-filling water troughs are a big issue on some farms and will lead to increased stress in cows if they can’t get enough water to drink.

Water intake per cow almost doubles during warm weather, so if the water system is under pressure during normal weather, it’ll be under twice as much pressure during a heatwave.

Heat stress is unlikely to be a problem on most farms, but it could be an issue on some, particularly where cows are housed for all or part of the day.

Moderate heat stress is likely when temperatures go above 24°C, with more severe heat stress when temperatures go above 26°C.

Real heat stress is usually combined with high temperatures and humidity of over 80%, but the forecast humidity is closer to 70% for the coming days.

Essentially, heat stress is when the cow needs to work harder to cool down. The hotter the temperature, the harder she needs to work and the more energy she will have to partition to cooling rather than production.

Careful

Ambient temperature in a shed with poor ventilation could be a few degrees higher than the outside temperature, so farmers running a confinement system need to be particularly careful to watch for signs of heat stress.

The same applies where cows are spending a few hours in the afternoon queuing up to be milked.

In an ideal situation, cows would be grazing fields with good shade during the day, although this is not always possible.

Temperatures are set to cool later in the week, but the high temperatures at the start of the week are a concern, especially as most farmers are only a few weeks into the breeding season.

The fear is that if cows are under pressure due to a lack of water or are overheating, this could have implications for conception rates.

The other big risk is the risk of bluetongue in these warm conditions.

Finally, make sure and protect yourself and others from the sun. Cover your skin as much as possible and wear sunscreen.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in Ireland and farmers and those working in the outdoors are most at risk.