Four out of every 10 dairy farms are short of fodder as a result of the drought.

The Teagasc report presented at the National Fodder and Food Security Committee meeting last week showed that 42% of dairy farms have a serious shortage of fodder at this stage.

The corresponding figure for drystock farms is 27%.

The report showed that there is a deficit of 20% or more in terms of required fodder stocks on 12% of dairy farms.

The fodder deficit on a further 30% of dairy farms is between 10% and 20%.

On drystock farms, 10% of holdings have a fodder deficit of 20% or more, the report found, with a further 17% of operations having a deficit of between 10% and 20%.

The extent of the drought in the southeast is reflected in the PastureBase grass growth figures which range from 6kg/ha/day to 11kg/ha/day.

This compares to 63-68kg/ha/day in the northwest.