The late spring and poor weather has resulted in field vegetable producers falling significantly behind with planting progress, which will likely have knock-on effects for Irish markets.
Pat Duggan sowing carrot seeds in Ballymacoda, Co Cork, on John Lynch's farm for O'Shea Farms Produce.
ADVERTISEMENT
Up to last weekend as little as 5% of this year’s field vegetable crops had been planted because of the late spring. This compares with the average of 40% for this time of year.
Early plantings are three weeks behind schedule. Growers are under pressure to get crops planted in time for Irish markets and are moving to the stage where yield and quality is likely to be an issue, explained IFA horticulture executive Pat Farrell.
Cold and wet ground has permitted only a small area of early carrots and iceberg lettuce to be planted. Few have managed to plant crops such as broccoli, swedes, cabbage and parsnips, Farrell said.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We are asking for supermarkets to understand the difficult spring experienced by growers, who will need price increases and may require greater leniency on specifications.”
In 2017, 4,196ha of field vegetables (excluding potatoes) were grown in Ireland, 3,833ha of which were spring-planted. The challenging spring planting season comes as the remainder of 2017’s vegetable crops were harvested in difficult conditions. While the carrot harvest is largely complete, there are parsnips and swedes yet to be harvested.
Potato producers are also under pressure as the planting window for early potatoes has passed.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
However, if you would like to share the information in this article, you may use the headline, summary and link below:
Title: Just 5% of field veg crops planted
The late spring and poor weather has resulted in field vegetable producers falling significantly behind with planting progress, which will likely have knock-on effects for Irish markets.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
Up to last weekend as little as 5% of this year’s field vegetable crops had been planted because of the late spring. This compares with the average of 40% for this time of year.
Early plantings are three weeks behind schedule. Growers are under pressure to get crops planted in time for Irish markets and are moving to the stage where yield and quality is likely to be an issue, explained IFA horticulture executive Pat Farrell.
Cold and wet ground has permitted only a small area of early carrots and iceberg lettuce to be planted. Few have managed to plant crops such as broccoli, swedes, cabbage and parsnips, Farrell said.
“We are asking for supermarkets to understand the difficult spring experienced by growers, who will need price increases and may require greater leniency on specifications.”
In 2017, 4,196ha of field vegetables (excluding potatoes) were grown in Ireland, 3,833ha of which were spring-planted. The challenging spring planting season comes as the remainder of 2017’s vegetable crops were harvested in difficult conditions. While the carrot harvest is largely complete, there are parsnips and swedes yet to be harvested.
Potato producers are also under pressure as the planting window for early potatoes has passed.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS