Emma Reynolds new Defra Secretary: comment

"The new Secretary of State is faced with a British countryside under immense pressure, from the hottest ever summer [2] that followed one of the driest springs that’s in turn resulted in a record number of wildfires and intense strain on farmers.

"This year’s harvest could well be one of the five worst on record and last year’s was the third worst, because it followed the wettest winter we’ve seen. To stop ever worsening extremes we need to reach net zero emissions and on that journey government schemes to improve resilience through better soil health, trees to shade livestock and hedges to reduce flood risk will be critical. The UK’s food security is at risk and consumers are seeing prices on supermarket shelves jump because of the more extreme climate."