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🇰🇷 South Korea /Environment & Climate

UK farmers warn of food shortages amid record heat and drought

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The UK's National Farmers Union (NFU) warns of potential food shortages due to record heatwaves and drought.
  • Extreme weather has severely impacted crop yields, with some harvests occurring weeks earlier than usual.
  • Farmers are calling for government support, including tax incentives for water storage facilities, to address the growing crisis.

The UK faces a growing risk of food shortages as record-breaking heatwaves and persistent drought devastate agricultural production, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has warned.

Tom Bradshaw, president of the NFU, told BBC Radio 4 that the changing climate in other food-producing nations, coupled with the UK's own extreme weather, points towards potential shortages. "We are going to see food shortages," he stated, highlighting the vulnerability of domestic food supplies.

We are going to see food shortages.

— Tom BradshawTom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), warned of potential food shortages due to extreme weather.

British farmers are grappling with a "double whammy" of severe drought following a wet winter. England recorded just 6.5 millimeters of rainfall in July, only 10% of the average, making it the driest July since records began in 1836. River levels are significantly below average, and reservoir levels have dropped, prompting seven water companies to implement hosepipe bans affecting approximately 23 million people.

The financial pressure on farms is growing.

— Anthony HopkinsAnthony Hopkins, AHDB's grains and oilseeds specialist, described the economic impact on farmers.

This is the third drought to affect the UK in the past five years. The extreme conditions have forced harvests to begin weeks earlier than usual, with many farmers in southern and eastern England finishing their harvests by the end of July. The first harvest report of the year, released by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), indicated that grain yields were lower than the 10-year average. "The financial pressure on farms is growing," said Anthony Hopkins, AHDB's grains and oilseeds specialist, citing years of adverse weather and rising costs.

Some wheat farmers reported that their crops barely reached half their normal height, with some deemed not worth harvesting. Gavin Lane, chairman of the Rural Land Business Association (CLA), lamented that "droughts that were once exceptional are becoming the norm for British agriculture." The NFU is urging the government to provide tax incentives for farmers to install on-farm reservoirs and to prioritize domestic food production to ensure national food security.

Droughts that were once exceptional are becoming the norm for British agriculture.

— Gavin LaneGavin Lane, chairman of the Rural Land Business Association (CLA), highlighted the increasing frequency of droughts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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