Somerset cider crop destroyed by worst moth infestation 'in living memory'

  • Louisa Britton meets the Somerset farmer who's says this year's moth infestation is the worst he's ever experienced

A cider farmer in Somerset fears for this autumn's harvest after the "worst infestation of moths in living memory" threatens his apple crops.

The family-run Burrow Hill Cider Farm in Huish Episcopi produces hundreds of thousands of litres of cider every year, but its crop has been so severely eaten by moths that the damage is visible from the sky.

A species of moth called the ermine has invaded the trees, creating nests for caterpillars which have stripped them bare.

Julian Temperley who has been farming the land for 55 years operates a no spray policy, meaning little can be done but let nature take its course.

He told ITV News West Country: "We've never seen anything like this. If we look at ourselves from the top of Bury Hill which is nearby, you can see huge areas of where the damage has hit the tops of trees.

Pointing to a badly affected tree, he added: "This will survive but it won't be producing any apples next year. This year would have been a hell of a stress on it.

"Because they have nests, sort of webs, the maggots live inside and eat the tree. They're basically protected."

The damage caused by moths is so severe, it's visible from the sky.

It's thought the milder winter is one of the reasons for the unusual infestation, although ecologists say it's something they haven't heard of in the UK before.

George Tordoff of Butterfly Conservation, said: "I think it's been more of a problem in north America. In the UK, I've usually only seen small webs on trees causing defoliation of the trees.

"I think it must be something to do with the weather we've had over the last year. It's been quite unusual, quite a mild, wet winter.

"It must have really favoured them this year in some way, so they must have really exploded this year."

The fear now, is the impact this infestation will have on cider production in the years to come.

Farmer Julian added: "People sort of say 'oh they're just ermine moths' but they have no idea what it's turned into, where whole patches of orchard are deseminated. It's quite frightening in a way."

Although some might not bear fruit, most of the orchard's trees will survive the season.

However, with climate change an increasing concern, farmers in Somerset want to raise awareness of the threat- to better protect the county's orchards.