Farmers warn of supermarket shortages after extreme heat kills crops

  • Video report by Martin Fisher

Farmers in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire are warning of supermarket supply shortages after the prolonged dry weather has ruined vital crops.

After weeks without significant rainfall, unirrigated crops – those that are not fed with water from pipes – are dying early or failing to grow to their full size.

Soaring temperatures and scorched earth have left land cracked and dry. Farmers say it has been one of the worst summers they have known.

James Copeland, of the National Farmer's Union, said the impact could soon start to be seen by shoppers. He said: "The challenge is going to be with regards to the volumes we are expecting to deliver, whether they are going to be there, and also with regard to availability at the shelves. We will have to wait and see.

"At the moment we're doing everything we can."

Last month was the driest July since 1935 in Lincolnshire. Both Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have officially entered drought status.

The land is dry and cracked making a poor yield Credit: ITV

The lack of rainfall, paired with the fall in exports from Ukraine following Russia's invasion, is being described as the "perfect storm" for the industry.

Andrew Ward grows sugar beet on his farm in Lincolnshire. He said: "Our crops are not maturing properly and reaching potential. The biggest problem is that it's so hard you can hardly get your fork in and there is a really bad root.

"We can't water crops like this. You need abstraction licences from the Environment Agency and it's only viable cost-wise on high value crops.

"You've got livestock mooing and crying out, wanting feed, and you haven't got that feed to give them. It's a very precarious situation. Most farmers will choose to feed their livestock in front of feeding their own families."

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Crops aren't growing to their full size due to the lack of rainfall Credit: ITV

Potato grower Dave Cooper, of Whole Crop Marketing in Driffield, would normally see his fields produce 25 tonnes of crops as standard. This year those in unirrigated land will struggle to produce half that.

He said: "The main problem is size. The crops have died prematurely. This farm has had 46mm of rain since the start of June, where normally it would expect 100mm of rain. The crops are struggling with the heat and the lack of rainfall."

Some rain is forecast this week. But, with the ground parched to an almost unprecedented degree, it is unlikely to provide much solace.

What happens when it rains after a drought?

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