Bad weather throughout the year has resulted in a 20% reduction in the Irish cereal harvest according to a new report from Teagasc.

Cereal production fell by nearly 500,000 tonnes to 1.93m tonnes. The overall tillage area fell by 2%.

The organisation said that wet weather during planting season, followed by a drought in June and the wettest July on record, and a wet August, resulted in harvests being prolonged.

Head of Crops Knowledge Transfer Michael Hennessy described the weather pattern as "more unpredictable than normal" and said that many farmers are "asking if climate change is already adversely affecting their business".

He said it has been a "very challenging year" due to the weather.