Britain faces potential food shortages as severe drought and prolonged heat across England and Wales damage crops and force farmers into the earliest harvest season on record, agricultural leaders have warned.
The National Farmers' Union has urged the prime minister to act as wheat and oat yields fall well below their 10-year average, with some crops reaching only half their normal height. Potato growers have cautioned supermarkets that tubers may be unusually small, while experts warn of shortages in carrots, onions, leafy greens and other field vegetables. Livestock farmers are already drawing on winter feed reserves as pasture conditions deteriorate.
The Met Office says July rainfall in England was just 8% of the long-term average, likely making it the driest July in 190 years of records. The UK Health Security Agency has issued heat alerts across eight English regions, and roughly 23 million people in England and Wales face hosepipe bans. This is Britain's third drought in five years, a pattern farming groups describe as the new normal.