Despite the impact on crop productions, he is keen to find Irish alternatives for his customers and is loath to have to import replacement stock from other countries unless absolutely necessary. “We have several other farms in Ireland that we source veg from,” he said. “But the weather is clearly having an impact on our food production.”
On the other side of the country Co Wexford strawberry grower Cyril Wheelock is also battling the effect that climate change is having on his harvest. “You used to be able to grow strawberries in the field but now you hardly see anyone doing it and that’s due to a large part because of the weather,” he said. “There was one man who came to us who was trying to grow them outside but he arrived into us last Monday looking for replacements for the shop he was meant to supply because the torrential rain had just turned them into mush.”
Ireland’s vegetable and horticulture industry is not alone when it comes to experiencing drought conditions. More than a quarter of Europe is under a status orange drought warning, according to the European Drought Observatory. Speaking to The Irish Times, Shay Phelan, a crop specialist with the agri-food development agency Teagasc, warned that the extreme weather could impact crop availability.