Vegetable growers stated that the recent rainy period was "badly needed." Amidst early July temperatures nearing 30°C and prevailing dry conditions, substantial rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm alerts brought relief. Paudie Hanafin, based in Kerry, commented on the challenges of irrigation: "We badly wanted it; all the crops wanted it big time." According to Hanafin, irrigation demands significant manual efforts, including pumping water and nighttime pipe adjustments. "We had three men tied up doing [irrigation]," he noted.
In high temperatures, vegetable growers also face the task of promptly cooling harvested produce to 2°C to prevent spoilage. Spoiled goods pose financial risks, affecting the balance between profitability and loss. In Dublin, broccoli grower Paul Murphy encountered both premature crop readiness and a lack of labor, owing to seasonal work visa denials. "We needed to bring in eight additional staff to help with those gluts [of broccoli], but we had no staff and we left it behind," Murphy said, highlighting the impact on his operations: "I left 35ac of broccoli behind; that's 5% of our production and it affects us massively."
Growers also report avian challenges, with Hanafin and Padraig Fahy from Galway noting bird-related issues on salad crops. Deploying bird netting requires periodic adjustments for irrigation, complicating workload during heatwaves. Fahy remarked on additional complications: "There're always other challenges; now with heat, that brings in insects, you might have bird damage."
Source: Irish Farmers Journal
