The Irish Government has been urged to implement a scheme to import fodder from overseas "as soon as possible" in response to the summer drought.
An unusually hot and dry summer, coupled with late snow in the spring, has impacted on the quantity and quality of fodder being harvested on Irish farms.
In a statement, the President of the Irish Farmers' Association said a fodder import scheme will have to be part of the Government's response as soon as possible in order to give co-ops and merchants the best chance of sourcing fodder.
"Farmers will save as much fodder as they can, but it is very unlikely that we will be able grow enough," Joe Healy said. "An import scheme would help to meet the demand," he added.
