In what has been one of the wettest and dullest summers on record, some Munster dairy farmers had to bring their cows into shelter to protect them from "sunburn" last weekend.
In the past 10 days there have been a number of cases of dairy cows in counties Cork and Tipperary whose udders have been burned by ultraviolet rays.
One south Tipperary farmer whose herd was badly hit by UV rays was advised by his vet to house all his cows in sheds to protect them from burning.
"Last week one of my best milkers began kicking and would not allow me touch her udder. Four more were at the same thing and eventually I called the vet," he said. "He examined them and told me they were suffering from sunburn, or, to be more specific, udder burn.
"I couldn't believe it, because it had been raining for most of the week down here, and if there was one hour of sunshine in the week I would be surprised," said the farmer, who has a large herd near Cahir, Co Tipperary.
On another dairy farm near Mallow, Co Cork, two animals had to be treated because of similar burning and the herd housed over the weekend to protect it.
Ms Ann Scanlon, the Irish Veterinary Union president, said damage by UV rays is more prevalent. "There does not have to be sunshine for this to happen. It has to do with the ozone layer and how much ozone protection is available," she said. "The standard treatment for the damage is to rub lotion on the udder, and sometimes injections of antihistamine are given."
Meanwhile, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association has called on the Government to carry out a survey of farms to determine likely fodder shortage this winter because of the bad weather. Its deputy president, Mr Pat O'Rourke, said heavy rainfall in June and July had led to a grass shortage and on most farms the amount of silage conserved to date would be totally inadequate for the winter.