The heatwave is piling more pressure on farmers who were already struggling to produce food in the face of the very dry conditions.
Much of the country is sweltering in a heatwave, with temperatures set to climb above 30C in many places over the weekend and an “amber” heat-health alert 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.
Farmers say the heatwave, following the dry spring, is putting “real pressure” on farms across the country, and warn it will affect not just this year’s harvest, but food availability into next year.
They are warning of the need for investment in more resilient water supplies to help them cope with the more unpredictable extremes that climate change is bringing.
National Farmers’ Union (NFU) vice-president Rachel Hallos said: “As the Met Office forecasts a heatwave this weekend, it’s yet another reminder of the increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather our farmers and growers are facing.
“After warnings of thunderstorms at the start of the month, this switch to hot, dry weather reinforces just how urgently we need long-term planning and investment in water resilience.
“Drought puts immense pressure on crops, livestock and grass growth and threatens the availability of homegrown fruit and veg.
“Investing in water infrastructure – from on-farm rainwater harvesting to more flexible abstraction rules – will help farmers manage these extremes, grow more fresh produce here in the UK and reduce reliance on imports from other water scarce countries.”
Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), who farms in Cambridgeshire, said: “The ongoing heatwave, following an already dry spring, is putting real pressure on farms across the country.
“Crops are struggling, harvests are coming earlier and lighter, and many farmers are seeing yields fall without any meaningful uplift in prices to offset the loss.
“What’s worrying is that this doesn’t just hit the current harvest – it will affect food availability into next year too.”
He warned most farms do not have infrastructure to store water, and without rainfall they do not have reserves to draw on, and he called for long-term support for water storage and better planning across river catchments.
He also said nature-friendly farming plays a “vital role” in building resilience to weather extremes.
“Practices like improving soil health, using cover crops, and integrating habitats into fields are helping farmers stay productive while cutting back on inputs.
“More support would help farms go further – it’s practical, makes business sense, and helps protect the land they rely on,” he said.
Earlier this week, the Environment Agency warned England faces “huge” water shortages of billions of litres a day by the middle of the century to provide for public water supplies as well as for areas such as food and energy production, without action to cut leaks, curb use and build new infrastructure.
