UK Harvest Seen Falling to 19.5 Million Tonnes, Bringing Smaller Vegetables and Higher Food Costs
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 5
UK Harvest Seen Falling to 19.5 Million Tonnes, Bringing Smaller Vegetables and Higher Food Costs
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 5
Summary
19.5 million tonnes of barley, oats and rapeseed are now projected for the UK harvest, 2.5 million tonnes below earlier forecasts and the weakest result since records began in 1984.
Drought across half of England and all of Wales followed an exceptionally dry spring and summer; England and Wales also logged their driest July in 190 years, with heatwaves worsening evaporation and crop stress.
Farmers say the damage is already reaching supermarket shelves through lower yields and poorer quality, pushing grocers toward smaller produce at the same price and more imports such as broccoli and iceberg lettuce from Spain.
£390 million in lost farm revenue is estimated from the cereals and oilseed shortfall, with knock-on effects extending through beer, breakfast cereals, vegetable oil and livestock feed.
Climate analysts and farmers say this could be a third bad harvest in a row, underscoring how rising heat and water shortages are making UK farming increasingly exposed to climate change.