Fifth-generation farmer Chris Wray has decided not to plant crops on a third of his land this autumn, citing the punishing drought and soaring costs. He expects to earn just £10,000 from farming this year, well below the national living wage.
Chris, 46, who farms 600 acres near Donington, Lincolnshire, said the decision was emotionally difficult. "I can't run the risk of losing money - I can't justify that. I can't afford to anymore," he told the Mirror. "And there a lot of people thinking like that now."
Drought and Costs Create 'Perfect Storm'
Chris described the situation as a "perfect storm" of challenges, including rising machinery costs, a new tax on fertiliser, and stagnant crop prices. He said he was forced to rent land for a solar farm to make ends meet.
The Met Office confirmed July was the driest on record for England and Wales, with millions of households facing hosepipe bans. The dry conditions have left gaping cracks in fields, and Chris noted his wheat yield on poorer ground was about half of last year's.
Harvest Shortfalls and Import Risks
If many farmers scale back planting, the UK could face shortages of home-grown crops and need to import more. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) estimated the dry spring and summer could have cut up to 2.5 million tonnes from the cereals and oilseed harvest, costing arable farmers up to £390 million in lost revenue.
Provisional estimates from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board indicate wheat, spring barley, and oat yields will all be down, with the UK cereal and oilseeds harvest potentially the worst since records began in 1984.
Climate Change Threatens Farming Future
Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the ECIU, warned that farming is now the sector most exposed to climate change. He said repeated extreme weather could lead to a "climate doom loop," undermining farmers' ability to plant future crops.
Martin Lines, a Cambridgeshire farmer, said: "Harvest this year has been a real kick in the teeth. After two terrible harvests in a row, the crops this year were looking good and full of potential coming out of spring, only for months of drought and heatwaves to destroy any prospect of a decent harvest."
Chris added: "It is the worst I have ever known it at the minute." He noted that competing with farmers abroad who benefit from state subsidies and lower environmental standards made life harder.
