Mr Delany said: “The unusually wet weather this summer has impacted negatively on grain fill and this coupled with shedding and straw breakdown has reduced crop yields by up to 40 per cent in extreme cases.“

“What had looked like the potential to be a bumper 2.6mt /2.7mt grain harvest six weeks ago could quickly turn into a salvage operation if weather does not take an immediate turn for the better. The winter barley and winter oilseed rape harvest are almost complete. However, less than six per cent of the main crop i.e. spring barley (156,000 ha) and one per cent of the second largest crop i.e. winter wheat crop (83,000 ha) have been harvested to date.“

“Ground conditions are deteriorating rapidly with water tables at unusually high levels for the time of year. Parts of many, if not all, of some fields maybe left un-harvested at this stage as some parts of the country are receiving in excess of 200 per cent of normal rainfall for the time of year.“

“Grain farmers have made significant investment in increased harvesting capacity over the last few years and rapid progress could be made if there were to be a significant improvement in weather and soil conditions.“