British farmers are grappling with an unprecedented farming crisis as record-breaking rainfall over the past 18 months has left fields submerged and food production in sharp decline. According to the Met Office, 1,695.9mm of rain fell from October 2022 to March 2024, the highest amount recorded for any 18-month period in England.
Tom Allen-Stevens, a farmer and agriculture journalist from Oxfordshire, described the situation as 'extraordinary'. He said he has managed to plant only 30 hectares of his 170-hectare farm, less than a third of his croppable land. 'From mid-October to effectively now, there has just been non-stop rain,' he said, noting that the lack of dry weather windows has prevented autumn planting for many.
In Leeds, vegetable grower Rhian Williams reported that fields are not drying out, forcing her to focus on polytunnels. 'We can't use the tractor because it will wreck the soil structure,' she said, warning of a prolonged 'hungry gap' and potential customer cancellations. She called for a restructuring of the food system to address climate change.
Livestock farmers are also affected. One farmer noted a lower lambing percentage and increased workload, with work condensed into small weather windows. 'You get up in the morning and you don't see a forecast where there is a better window,' he said, adding that cattle remain indoors due to wet conditions.
The crisis follows a previous dry spell in 2022 that reduced yields, highlighting a pattern of extreme weather that farmers attribute to climate change. With thousands of hectares likely unplanted, the impact on UK food production is expected to be severe.
