Over the next few days, according to Mét Éireann, weather conditions are supposed to improve, which will hopefully allow farmers to get stock out of the sheds.

This will be welcome news for sheep farmers, who have been lambing over the last few weeks or for those who have just started.

It was a miserable February – weather-wise – with a huge amount of rain falling right across the country, which in some areas led to bad flooding.

So far, the weather in March has been very mixed, with last week being very wet. However, towards the end of this week, conditions are due to improve, which should take the pressure off fodder supplies and shed space and see ewes and their lambs moved out to pasture.

Speaking to a farmer in Co. Roscommon last week, he said it was the first year in a long time that he wasn’t able to get his ewes and their single lambs out to grass yet because the land was so wet.

This has been the case for many farmers across the country. However, over the next few days, it is important that farmers pay close attention to the weather forecast and use any opportunity they can to get ewes and lambs out to grass.