Commodities
Home›Commodities›Energy Transition›Britain warns drought could cut wheat yields and trigg…
Britain warns drought could cut wheat yields and trigger food shortages
The National Farmers’ Union says wheat is about half its normal height as drought, restricted irrigation, and record dry weather squeeze harvests, with hosepipe bans in parts of England and Wales.
Britain may face shortages of certain foods after a punishing drought in parts of England, the National Farmers’ Union warned as a heatwave is forecast to continue into next week, according to the Guardian Business.
The UK’s Health Security Agency issued heat health alerts for eight English regions, with temperatures expected to rise above 30C in some areas. The report also says rising temperatures add health risks, and that drought conditions are being worsened by restricted irrigation because farms have been affected by winter flooding and now lack access to water.
Farmers report crop damage, including wheat growing at about half its normal height. The article adds that England is seeing its earliest ever harvest, with some areas not having rain for more than a month.
The Guardian Business reports that the NFU president, Tom Bradshaw, warned shortages could follow and urged the prime minister to act, including tax breaks to help farmers build water storage systems. The Met Office reported England had about 8% of average rainfall for July, about 23 million people across England and Wales are under hosepipe bans, and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board said hot weather led to the earliest 2026 harvest.
Latest closeWheat $638.00 ▼3.8%