He also raised concerns regarding disease outbreaks like scab in early crop trial digs.
"Scab is very apparent in potatoes unearthed over recent days courtesy of main crop trial digs," he said.
Meredith highlighted that even resistant crop varieties are exhibiting disease symptoms due to heat stress.
"What's really worrying here is the fact that normally scab-resistant varieties are also succumbing to the problem," he said.
He stressed that subsequent precipitation must occur gradually to prevent crop damage.
"A measured increase in crop growth will help dilute the impact of the scab issues that have already shown up," Meredith said.
Gradual moisture intake is also necessary to prevent physical defects in root vegetables.
"Such a scenario will also ensure that cracking of tubers does not become an issue," he said.
Meredith noted that early harvest indicators already show visible signs of drought impact.
"Growers have now moved on to second earlies, where the first signs of drought impacting on crops have become apparent," he said.
He concluded that Irish growers face systemic vulnerabilities due to limited irrigation infrastructure.
"And again the issue of the drought will be coming into play. These crops are normally harvested at the end of July and into early August," Meredith said.
He reiterated that immediate rainfall is necessary to recover main crop potential.
"Very few Irish potato growers have access to irrigation equipment.
The bottom line is this: Irish main crops need meaningful rainfall levels over the coming days to get them back on track," he said.
In contrast to traditional produce, English and Welsh wine producers report favorable conditions, expecting strong yields following last year's 55% surge in domestic wine production.
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