Poor weather is causing serious difficulties in the farming sector, where a large proportion of the potato crop remains unplanted, cattle are being rehoused and silage harvesting is disrupted.
With no sign of a break in the poor weather, cattle-feed prices have risen by 10 per cent in the past week and milk yields have dropped.
One of Ireland's most-endangered bird species, the corncrake, is facing another critical year as its breeding grounds on the Shannon valley have been flooded and they have no place to nest.
A spokesman for Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, said its advisers are dealing with many queries from farmers facing difficulties.
"There have been reports of cattle being taken back in from the fields and rehoused because the weather is too wet to graze - and this is increasing feeding costs," he said. "While there is plenty of grass for silage, it cannot be accessed in many parts of the country because the fields are too wet to carry machinery."
He explained that, even if the land could carry heavy machinery, harvesting grass that is too wet reduces its feeding potential and creates an environmental problem.
He said an additional problem for farmers was they could not spread slurry because most had to wait until the silage was harvested before slurry was spread on the bare fields. It also emerged the main potato crop was under threat and as much as 30 per cent has not yet been put in the ground.
With poor weather forecast this week, time was running out, Tom Maher, Ireland's foremost expert in potato-growing, warned. He said many top growers were still unable to plant all their crop.
"Donegal, Louth, Meath and Dublin growers have been hardest-hit and, of course, they are the biggest growers in the country," he said. "The cut-off date is June 1st, and that is only a short time away. Potatoes planted after that have very low yields."
Fine Gael is seeking an urgent meeting of the Dáil Environment Committee to discuss the flooding of the Shannon Callows.