Farmer says crops are 'struggling' as temperatures rise

A CAMBRIDGESHIRE farmer says the heatwave is “putting real pressure” on farms on top of struggles created by the dry spring.

- By EMILY BEAMENT, PA & LORNA HUGHES

He said crops are ‘struggling’ and many farmers are seeing yields fall ‘without any meaningful uplift in prices’.

Much of the country is sweltering in a heatwave, with temperatures set to climb to more than 30C in Cambridgeshire this weekend.

Temperatures are forecast to reach 33C in Cambridge and Huntingdon, and 32C degrees in Ely today (Saturday, June 21).

An “amber” heat-health alert has been 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 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.