The good weather promised for the remainder of this week will not have come a day too soon for farmers along the western seaboard.

Much of the west has received a month’s rain in the last fortnight, exacerbating what has already been a long and difficult winter for farmers.

Grass growth is running at 40-50% of anticipated levels for this time of the year, while ground conditions have been described as “desperate”.

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Many dairy farmers have been forced to rehouse stock at night as a consequence of the poor weather. In addition, fodder is now getting tighter and slurry tanks fuller.

Met Éireann figures show that Knock in Co Mayo received 87mm of rain up to April 15; the average rainfall for the entire month is 84mm.

This trend was repeated at Finner Camp in Donegal, Shannon Airport and Sherkin Island in west Cork.

Finner Camp usually gets 67mm of rainfall during April, but it had received 72mm by April 15 this year; Shannon Airport usually gets 62mm during April but 71mm has already fallen.

Meanwhile, Sherkin Island usually gets 74mm of rainfall for the entire month of April but it had received 95mm by April 15.

In contrast, April rainfall figures for the east of the country appear to be in line with traditional patterns, although overall rainfall levels for the first three months of the year were well above average.

January to March rainfall was 50% higher than normal in Mullingar and Johnstown Castle, 57% above average in Dunsany, 24% over the average in Ballyhaise, 28% over in Oakpark, and 32% in Gurteen.

The high levels of rainfall in the west recently have seriously hit grass growth.

Teagasc Pasturebase figures for the end of last week put grass growth in Sligo at 20kg/ha/day and 26kg/ha/day in Mayo. Grass growth for the middle of April would usually be in excess of 60kg/ha/day.

Stronger growth was recorded in Roscommon and Galway, with 39kg/ha/day being recorded in the former and 33kg/ha/day in the latter. However, this is still well below expected levels for this time of year.

In Donegal the latest Pasturebase figures put grass growth at 24kg/ha/day, and at 29kg/ha/day in Cavan.

Across north Munster grass growth ranged from 21kg/ha/day in Clare to 29kg/ha/day in Kerry, and 33kg/ha/day in Limerick.

Grass growth is stronger in south Munster and Leinster. Growth rates generally vary from 35kg/ha/day to 38kg/ha/day, with a top of 40kg/ha/day recorded in Wexford.

With Met Éireann predicting a dry and increasingly warm week – temperatures are forecast to hit the high teens by the end of the week – farmers will be hoping for a jump in grass growth and a sharp improvement in ground conditions.