As the hot and dry weather persists, there are calls for emergency supports for fruit and vegetable growers.
Carlow, Kilkenny with the rest of Leinster and Tipperary are under a status yellow high temp warning until tomorrow with up to 31 degrees expected to be reached today.
The Green Party says producers are being hit by lower yields, reduced demand during the heatwave, and pressure to sell below the cost of production.
Agriculture spokesperson and locally based Senator Malcolm Noonan, says some growers could be forced out of business, noting; “It’s been a devastating year for fruit and vegetable growers and the horticulture sector more generally, many of them been in trouble for a long time now because of supermarket prices, but the summer this year between the drought and the consistent heatwaves has caused huge problems for yields”.
