STORM OPHELIA SHOOK Ireland’s coasts and people’s homes – and rattled this orchard in Tipperary, where thousands of apples were knocked to the ground, as first reported by the Irish Farmers Journal.
In the aftermath of winds and rain brought by Storm Ophelia, the apples gathered into a smooth blanket covering most of the cider orchard, making for an incredible sight.
It’s just before the harvesting season for cider apples, so Bulmers, the company that owns the orchard, said it has to make preparations to store them, as “much of this year’s Irish apple crop was felled by last week’s unprecedented weather event”.
“To help affected growers and orchards, including our own, relieve production pressure and maximise the throughput of Irish apples, C&C (the company behind Bulmers) has secured extra storage space and additional pressing capacity, if required.
“C&C is actively working with Irish growers to accept and process fruit as quickly as possible, to ensure the highest quality crop for pressing and production,” the spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Con Trass, the Irish Farmers’ Association’s apple chair, said that of those farmers who grow apples, Storm Ophelia only hit those growing apples to make cider.
It is only really cider apple growers that have been affected as there’s only a small portion of eating and cooking apples left to pick.
“Cider growers are only starting their harvest. I know that Bulmers is doing its utmost to facilitate growers.”
The photos taken by Tony Egan and sent to the Irish Farmers Journal.
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