Britain’s farmers are set to collectively lose round £600 million after poor rising circumstances produced the second-worst wheat harvest on file.
New figures from the Division for Setting, Meals and Rural Affairs reveal that the UK’s wheat crop fell to 11.1 million tonnes in 2024, down from 14 million tonnes the earlier 12 months.
That is the bottom stage recorded since 2020, when pandemic disruptions took a big toll on harvest yields. Moist climate, which hampered sowing and stunted crop progress, was a major issue, although the world of land dedicated to wheat additionally shrank by 11 per cent.
Tom Lancaster from the Vitality and Local weather Intelligence Unit stated the dismal harvests signify a £600 million blow to British agriculture. “This year’s harvest was a shocker, and climate change is to blame,” he stated. “The impacts are only going to worsen unless we reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.”
Different crops additionally suffered within the difficult circumstances. In keeping with Matt Daragh on the Agriculture and Horticulture Improvement Board, “cereal and oilseed rape production in the UK was considerably challenged,” particularly for winter-sown varieties. Throughout wheat, barley, oats, and oilseed rape, manufacturing contracted by 13 per cent this 12 months to twenty million tonnes.
The poor harvest numbers land because the farming sector grapples with a sequence of coverage modifications and monetary pressures. Farmers this week staged protests and blocked roads in an try to discourage the Authorities from introducing a brand new inheritance tax regime that can restrict long-standing reliefs for agricultural property. Below the deliberate modifications, farmers will solely cross on land tax-free in the event that they survive for seven years after doing so, sparking fears that some could take drastic measures as a result of stress and uncertainty.
Tom Bradshaw, president of the Nationwide Farmers’ Union, warned MPs that the looming tax modifications might push susceptible farmers to contemplate taking their very own lives. At a time when harvest shortfalls and climate extremes are already squeezing earnings, the coverage shift might additional undermine the resilience of Britain’s farming business.
