Farmers concerned about island’s drought
GUERNSEY is experiencing a drought, which is causing concern for farmers.
With the last rain on 10 April, when 1.9mm was recorded, the Met Office confirmed that the island was now experiencing a meteorological drought. Other than a few showers tomorrow, it is looking likely to remain dry through the rest of this week.
‘We have recorded 8.4mm at Guernsey Airport for the month so far,’ senior observer Adam Heaume said.
‘This compares to the longer term average of 44mm for the same period, so we have received just 19% of this, which is broadly in line with the rest of the UK (England and Wales 9%, Scotland 26% and Northern Ireland 38%).’
The last time it rained was on the morning of Thursday 15 April, albeit just a sprinkling, with the last significant rainfall on Saturday 10 April. The particularly wet January means, however, that Guernsey is currently looking at average rainfall for the year to date. A similarly dry April (3.2mm of rain) occurred in 2011 but Guernsey Farmers' Association president Michael Bray said last year was a tough, dry year for farming as well. Describing the situation as ‘a bit of a nightmare’, he said April was usually a time where there was a surplus of grass which would be preserved for the winter.
‘The lack of rain means we’re not going to have as much for the winter and there’s a bit of concern that we won’t have enough feed.
‘Lots of farmers are delaying putting animals outside at the moment and tapping into stores from last year, although those supplies are a bit in demand because last year was dry and affected stocks, too.’
With two dry years resulting in a lower production of grass, and irrigation not possible due to the fragmented nature of Guernsey’s farms and fields, farmers will have to adapt to ensure livestock are fed and stocks last.
‘For centuries farmers have had to be pretty versatile,’ he said.
‘This might mean we have to purchase more feed from the UK, which is going to be a major expense because of the volume of feed we need for cows.’
The knock-on effect of importing it might lead to slightly higher milk prices, along with the chance of reduced milk production if food supplies cannot be siloed.
