Cornish farmer's warning as long wet winter causes crop and livestock costs to skyrocket

• ITV West Country reporter Jacquie Bird speaks to farmer Ashley Jones

A struggling Cornish farmer has described the mounting cost of this long wet winter on his crops and livestock.

Ashley Jones, who farms at Pillaton near Saltash, told ITV News West Country climate change was putting huge stress on farmers and there was only so much they could bear.

He said: "It is a challenge. Beef and lamb prices have increased for us which is very helpful, very much so appreciated.

"But our input costs for producing our silage to feed the sheep, our straw costs, are a massive cost to us and there's only so much we can stomach, especially when our crops are starting to suffer off the back of a very wet winter."

Ashley has had to bring his main flock of sheep into barns to lamb because the weather has been so wet.

When it rains, sheep will seek shelter and won't graze, which has a huge impact on pregnant ewes and lambs.

As well as adding to the cost by having to feed and provide straw bedding for the sheep, they are also at risk of picking up germs when they are indoors, which could lead to other illnesses in the animals.

Mr Jones has also been unable to feed his crops with fertiliser because of the heavy rain, so his yield this year is likely to be down too.

He said: "Because we are unable to get our fertiliser on the crops, we are now going to have a yield penalties so our crops potentially now aren't going to yield as much as they could have done"

Just two days of dry weather could make all the difference for farmers, but the forecast does not look bright.