Supermarkets will see a shortage of Irish fruit and vegetables this year according to a local grower.
National Fruit and Vegetable Committee chair and Longford man, Neil McCormack, says a number of factors over the last few months have significantly impacted growers.
Heavy rain earlier in the year followed by the recent hot and dry weather has resulted in a delay in growth for many crops.
Irish grown cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, broccoli and sprouts have been affected most when it comes to the growing season.
Speaking to the Joe Finnegan Show this morning, Neill says it's not just the weather that is hitting horticulturists hard.
He believes the industry itself is losing growers in large numbers:
'The Government and the powers that be will have to sit down and look at the whole horticulture sector, we are the poor cousin of Agriculture.
There's a projected 7% reduction in crops this year.
You've two things here; you 've your late season and your drought, and the other reason is that people are getting out.
Older people are getting out, they've lost confidence, they're fed up of poor prices and they are just fed up.'
