The price of bales has gone up by 19.96%, according to a report from online advertiser DoneDeal.

The report compared over 5,000 adverts that had been placed online in June and July this year with similar ads from 2017.

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Results showed a 31% rise in the average price for a bale of silage to €29.22, while hay was up 18% to €27.23/bale.

The average price of straw also increased by 32% to €24.02 for a 4x4 bale.

“This is a crisis for farmers. The snow in spring followed by the extreme drought has made the production of hay, straw and silage extremely difficult and we’re seeing this now in these surging prices,” Adam Ferguson from DoneDeal said.

DoneDeal pointed out that there was a huge regional difference in prices, with Leinster witnessing a 26% rise in the price of silage and hay.

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