Agriculture is facing major difficulties as the poor summer weather continues to prevent the harvesting of fodder, cereals and fruit and vegetable crops.
The list of problems facing farmers goes from the probable loss of half the lettuce crop to lower yields of silage and cereals.
Already two major agricultural shows have been cancelled because of ground conditions, and the Mullingar show this Sunday will not take place as the site is waterlogged.
The Irish Farmers' Association has reported that its vegetable growers are most affected and that one-third of the projected broccoli crop is gone because farmers have been unable to plant for the last three weeks. The planting season, which starts in mid-March, ends this month. Growers also believe that they stand to lose half of this year's lettuce crop because of the high water content.
Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, said farmers who did not have grass ready for the early silage cut had been caught out by the continuing rain.
Liam Fitzgerald, a beef expert who is based in Athenry, Co Galway, said some farmers had taken silage in the first week of June but had not been able to get any more since then.
"We are not at a critical stage as yet but I see the grass lying down and that dramatically reduces the feed value. If the bad weather continues for another week, we will have serious problems down here," he said.
Already, he said, he was seeing evidence of "poaching" - that is, cattle cutting up the soft ground - and he said dairy farms seemed to be hardest hit by this problem.
"Very little, if any hay at all, has been made so far this year and, while cattle farmers can switch to silage, people who have horses will be in some difficulty if there is no weather to make hay," he said.
Teagasc tillage experts said cereal producers would be expecting to harvest their winter cereal crops, especially barley, within the next week - but much will depend on the weather.
Cereal farmers are expecting good yields from the winter crops but fear the spring-sown crops, which are due for harvesting in early August, may be battered into the ground by the continuing rain, which causes the stems to fall and dramatically reduces yields.