High temperatures turn up the heat on Sark's dairy industry

Farmers in Sark say recent hot weather could put major pressure on the island's dairy trade.

Dry and dusty conditions have reduced the quality of grass for the island's herds - with potential knock-on effects including rises in milk prices, a shortage of Sark butter and the delays to the planned production of cheese in the island.

The conditions have forced many farmers to turn to their winter supplies to maintain milk production.

Jason Salisbury from the Isle of Sark Dairy said: "It's still on target to make cheese, quite when I don't know yet because my milk yield is starting to ease off because they haven't got a lot to eat.

"So I've got a knock-on effect of not getting a vast amount of millk coming through."

The community has pulled together and are sharing forage to support one another. However, they say the coming weeks will be critical to keep production on track.

Philip Perree, based in Little Sark, is the island's only producer of Sark butter.

• Philip Perree says production of butter will be down this summer

He says: "We're all in the same boat because production is dwindling. That's an ongoing thing each season because normally, we calf in the spring to have milk at the volume for the summer months, so yes, we'll be in some predicament."

Farmers are hopeful that the growth of drought-resistant crops such as Lucerne, also known as Alfalfa, will benefit - as well as praying for more favourable conditions toward the back end of the summer.