Hot dry spring could threaten arable harvest

FARMERS could be facing another terrible harvest after the hottest spring on record and the driest conditions in decades, analysis warns.

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The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank warns climate change is already having a “devastating” impact on farmers, food security and shopping bills, and the recent extremes will have a negative impact on the harvest.

The warning comes ahead of the spending review, in which it is feared the Government will cut funding for sustainable farming, prompting farmers and environmentalists to warn it would hit efforts to restore nature, make farming resilient to climate shocks.

Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, said this year’s arable harvest was “on a knife edge” and warned of the need for funding to build resilience to climate extremes through nature-friendly farming measures.