More rainfall but more sporadic rainfall events, along with higher grass growth rates, are set to be a feature of climate change in Ireland, according to Teagasc researcher Elodie Ruelle.
Ruelle will be speaking at an Agricultural Science Association conference on Thursday 9 July, exploring what farming in Ireland will look like in 2040.
In her paper, Ruelle says that overall grass growth rates are set to increase in Ireland, with the increase coming at the shoulders of the year, despite a reduction in grass growth rates in summer and autumn.
However, she cautions that utilising this extra grass growth may be a challenge for farmers as excessive rainfall at the wrong times of the year is set to become a bigger problem.
Consequences
“Weather in Ireland is changing but the consequences of climate change is very different from the rest of Europe: our extreme in terms of heat are still relatively low compared to the other countries.
“While water deficit will be a recurring issue in the future, excessive rainfall at the wrong time of year might be our biggest problem,” she says.
In terms of mitigation strategies, Ruelle says that Irish farmers and industry bodies need to adapt in order to prepare for the changing climate.
“Work on genetics and breeding, having more diversity and, more importantly, having enough flexibility in the system to cope with the annual variability,” she says.
Elodie will be speaking at the event in the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise on 9 July, with proceedings kicking off at 9am.
Also speaking at the conference are Dr Gerry Lacey from Maynooth University, Emma Dillon from Teagasc, Seamus McMenamin from Bord Bia and Prof David Styles from University of Galway.
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