British wheat production hit by extreme weather since 2020

WHEAT production is down by the equivalent of more than one year’s supply of British bread in recent years amid increasingly extreme weather, an analysis of UK harvest data suggests.

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The UK saw a total deficit in wheat production of more than seven million tonnes between 2020 and 2024, according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

This is enough to bake more than four billion loaves of bread when considering the proportion of UK wheat then used for milling flour, the researchers found, equating to 64 loaves of bread for every person in the UK.

The ECIU also warned that 2025 will likely see another poor harvest after a record-breaking hot and dry spring and summer, meaning this deficit is set to grow further, and therefore leaving the UK more dependent on imports.