‘Once you have seed in the ground, there is hope’ – farmers working ‘around the clock’ to avoid potato shortage

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue has warned there is a “challenge” in the sector, after announcing a support package at the Fianna Fáil ard fheis offering €100 a hectare to farmers who plant field crops and vegetables this year.

Adverse weather in recent months means consumers are facing a possible rise in the price of potatoes – as well as products such as crisps.

Farmers are playing catch-up and have used the recent spell of drier weather to begin their planting.

“It’s such a relief to get out planting,” said one farmer who has been sowing “around the clock” since the break in the wet weather.

Ivan Curran has planted about 40 acres of his 700-acre farm in Stamullen, Co Meath, with potatoes since last Friday evening.

He is also trying to get grain into the ground before any change in the dry weather.

Mr Curran said he, like most farmers, was living “hand to mouth” at the minute.

“We are planting away in our pet fields, as we call them, the ones that are dry at the minute. There are still fields too wet to get into,” he said.

“We went out sowing at 6pm last Friday and we’ve been working around the clock since.

“We are all tired but we are out there from 6am to 10pm most nights, literally making hay – or potatoes – while the sun shines.

“I’ve about 40 of the 700 acres for potatoes planted, mostly with Rosetta, for crisping, and Rooster varieties.

“Effectively, we are going hand to mouth at the moment and I’m watching the weather like a hawk because it [the forecast] gives more rain at the weekend.”

Mr Curran can get a yield of 11,000 tonnes of potatoes in a good year.

But last year was the worst for rainfall he has seen in his 40 years in agriculture.

About 40pc of his crop is Roosters that go to supermarkets for sale while 60pc is destined for the Tayto factory in nearby Curragha for making crisps.

“Once you have seed in the ground, there is hope,” Mr Curran said.

“We can obviously lose some yield if the rain comes back, but at least we have some reprieve with this dry spell.

“Roosters may be still in short supply in June, but we have a lifeline for later in the year now.”

Met Éireann predicts more unsettled weather will arrive by this weekend, with outbreaks of rain.

Temperatures will struggle too, with highs of just 8C to 12C.

Looking to the weekend, the forecaster said: “Current indications would suggest a rather unsettled weekend with plenty of cloud and limited sunny spells.

“Outbreaks of rain are likely, especially across southern counties, with some blustery winds there too.”

However, long-range forecasters have offered tentative hope that high pressure will return next week, with sunnier weather forecast as we head into the May bank holiday weekend.