UK faces worst harvest on record after summer drought: comment

The hottest summer on record has delivered us the worst harvest on record. [2] Four of the five worst harvests on record have now occurred this decade following extreme weather [3], with costs and lost revenue racking up for Britain’s farmers. Our farmers are on the front line of climate change, with the impacts of ever worsening extreme weather now there for all to see. 

“More can be done to adapt to these extremes, including addressing problems with the sustainable farming schemes [4]that are so important to building resilience. But there are limits, and reducing emissions to net zero is now a clear priority for a future food security. Without this, the costs of climate change and food production losses will continue to worsen in the years and decades ahead, putting pressure on farm incomes and farm viability in the process.”
 
ECIU have published some snap analysis [5] of these yield estimates, including a ranking of where 2026 sits alongside other harvests going back to 1984. We estimate that production will be down to 19.4m tonnes for wheat, winter and spring barley, oats and oilseed rape. Compared to previous forecasts for 2026 published by the US Department of Agriculture and COCERAL (the European cereals association), production will be down by between 2 million and 2.6 million tonnes, revealing the impact of the summer heat and drought. 
At current ex-farm prices, this would be worth between £414 million and £546 million.