Bank of Ireland urges farmers affected by dry weather to seek support early

20 August 2026: As the dry weather persists, Bank of Ireland is urging farmers with cashflow concerns to engage as soon as possible with their bank, financial adviser or accountant to explore the range of flexible financing options available to help deal with the impact of dry weather conditions.

Bank of Ireland’s Agri and Business advisors are proactively engaging with customers and making a range of tailored financial support measures available to help farming businesses manage both immediate pressures and longer-term resilience. The bank anticipates an increase in support queries in the short term as farming businesses evaluate the financial and operational effects of prolonged dry weather.

Bank of Ireland has a range of flexible options, including:

  • Loan repayment holidays
  • Overdraft extensions
  • Flexible term loans that are quick and easy to apply for
  • Ability to retrospectively finance previous investments made from cash
  • Contact the dedicated team of Agri and Business Advisors in branch, over the phone or online
  • A team of dedicated Agri Managers are also available to support: Agri Development Managers – Bank of Ireland Business Banking

All these measures are designed to help alleviate the pressures currently facing farmers, and targeted loans can provide increased financial breathing space and help spread the cost of additional inputs over an agreed and flexible term.

Eoin Lowry Head of Agriculture, Bank of Ireland said: “It has been a challenging year for farmers, a long cold and wet winter has now been followed by an exceptionally long dry spell with farmers reporting reduced yields and increased costs from additional feeding over recent weeks.

While we are not yet seeing a material increase in demand for support, we expect pressures on some farming businesses to build over the coming weeks and months.

I would encourage any farmer that is concerned to talk to us, so that we can ensure the farm finances are properly structured and devise a plan that will help overcome the current challenges.

We have increased our internal Agri response team and will keep situation under constant review.”

With June, July and August recorded as one of the driest on record, farmers have several concerns including:

  • Farmers forced to provide supplementary feeds to livestock, whilst grass growth is slowing
  • Costs associated with animal welfare issues as a result of high temperatures
  • Increased costs to combat drought and to provide a steady water supply to livestock
  • Lower harvest yields and poorer quality across many tillage and vegetable farms
  • Increased costs driven by a very long hot spells which is impacting animal performance and crop growing conditions
  • Farmers used cash balances that were available and invested in infrastructure and farm machinery last year – now dealing with decreased cashflow as a result.

Bank of Ireland is encouraging any agricultural customers experiencing financial pressure to contact its dedicated support line on 0818 210614 (Monday-Friday, 9am -5pm).

ENDS