Poor harvest to cost arable farmers £800 million

Arable farmers in the UK are facing a reduction in revenues of more than £800 million following one of the worst ever harvests, analysis suggests.

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This year's harvest among worst

This year Britain had the hottest and driest spring on record and the hottest summer with drought conditions widespread.

As a result, the production of the five staple arable crops - wheat, oats, spring and winter barley and oilseed rape - fell by 20 per cent compared with the 10-year average, according to the analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.

The harvest in England was the second-worst in records going back to 1984.

This year's anticipated poor harvest comes following one of the worst harvests on record last year after the preceding autumn and winter saw extreme rainfall.