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As drought conditions continue, Teagasc has estimated that up to 20% of potato crops could be lost in some parts of the country.
The lack of rain has halted growth in regions and fears are growing that losses could be greater than 20% in some regions as only a quarter of the crop has been irrigated.
The national yield has taken a double hit this year, as tough spring conditions meant that there was a 14% drop in the overall area planted.
"Critical" situation
Teagasc potato adviser Shane Kennedy said the situation had reached a “critical” point.
“Crops that have been irrigated are growing well. However, those that have not received water are not growing at all, tubers are small and many have been infected by common scab,” Kennedy said, adding, “it is very difficult to predict overall yield at this stage, but crops could easily be back by 20% on average”.
The northeast and southeast of the country have been hit particularly hard, with some early and main crops suffering.
Teagasc stated that if rain comes, some of the damage done to crops could be reversed but warned growers to talk to their financial institutions if they felt they might experience future difficulties.
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