DROUGHT PILING THE PRESSURE ON ALREADY STRESSED FARMERS

THE heatwave is piling more pressure on farmers who were already struggling to produce food in the face of the very dry conditions.

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Much of the country is sweltering in a heatwave, with temperatures set to climb above 30C in many places over the weekend and an “amber” heat-health alert issued warning of “significant” impacts for health services.

For farmers, the heatwave threatens to worsen the outlook for food production already struggling off the back of a record hot spell and the driest spring in decades that has left north west England and Yorkshire in drought and other regions in prolonged dry conditions.

The hot, dry spring came after a record wet spell which left many farmers struggling to sow crops last autumn, and led to warnings earlier this month of potentially the worst harvest on record for major arable crops if conditions did not improve.

Farmers say the heatwave, following the dry spring, is putting “real pressure” on farms across the country, and warn it will affect not just this year’s harvest, but food availability into next year.