With more than two-thirds of England declared to be in drought last week and wildfires raging across the country, farmers in Greater Manchester are facing a bleak situation. Margaret Lees, whose family has worked Park Farm in Walmersley, Bury, for almost 70 years, says this year is unlike anything she has witnessed before.
Farmers forced to feed winter silage
“Everything's running dry basically,” she said. “At the moment, we're having to feed the winter silage, feed that is made for the winter, because we’ve not got enough grass.”
“We've always tried to look ahead and make sure that we've got enough silage for every year, but we're feeding this winter's feed now. We've never done this before, as far as I can remember. It’s pretty dire really.”
Harvest beginning earlier than usual
Farmers across Greater Manchester and beyond are preparing for a difficult period, with harvest beginning far earlier than usual this year. Margaret says food shortages are ‘inevitable’. The government has announced a package of measures to support British farmers, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough.
“There's no grass growing at the moment,” Margaret says. “It's just a matter of just hoping for the rain.”
Other stories in the newsletter
In other news, a family in Salford, originally from Syria, is considering leaving the area after two years of relentless attacks. Youths, covering their faces with masks, have thrown rocks and eggs at their home and hurled racist abuse. The couple, a pharmacist and a doctor, have lived in Salford for five years under a hospital scheme for highly-skilled workers.
The deaths of two controversial characters in Coronation Street and Emmerdale have sparked a debate over problematic storylines. Meanwhile, new figures from the Freedom of Information Act show hundreds of parking fines were issued during this year's Parklife festival, with one resident claiming the situation is ‘absolutely out of control’.
