Tillage farmers across the country are disillusioned at present as persistent rain means that a negligible amount of spring crops have been planted at the end of March. Rain last weekend and this week means the sowing window moves well into April.

All parts of the country are affected.

At the end of last week, a small number of farmers managed to plant beans and small areas of spring cereals, but industry reports suggest the area planted is negligible across the country.

Very little cultivations have been carried out as ground conditions mean soil is unworkable.

While some have managed to keep winter crops up to date, albeit in poor conditions, others cannot move into fields.

The mood among farmers is low as concerns increase over crop yields due to delayed sowing and management and possible higher protein contents in malting barley, as a result of delayed sowing.

The Food Vision 2030 tillage group is calling for immediate financial assistance for the sector due to the challenging conditions. Grain prices have also been recovering in recent weeks.