This has been a summer of extremes: record temperatures, drought and mounting pressure on British farming. Harvest began earlier than at any point in the past 20 years, while dairy and livestock farmers have been forced to dip into their winter feed supplies.
Hot, dry conditions have intensified the threat of bluetongue, fruit and vegetable growers have struggled to secure the water needed to irrigate their crops and poultry producers are working around the clock to keep their birds comfortable. These challenges are being felt across sectors, across the country and around the world.
While this summer has brought some of the worst drought conditions farmers and growers have experienced, it cannot be dismissed as a one-off. It is a warning of what the future could hold. As extreme weather becomes more frequent, we must learn from the pressures experienced across the food supply chain this year and recognise that the conditions in which we produce food are changing before our eyes.
The good news is that British farmers are no strangers to adapting. From Brexit and Covid-19 to the wars in Ukraine and more recently Iran, farmers and growers have repeatedly adapted in the face of uncertainty and global instability. But while we stand ready to confront the challenges that come our way, we cannot face them alone.
Producing affordable, high-quality food for 70 million people has always been, and remains, our priority, and it must be a key priority for our government and food supply chain too.
Our national response cannot focus solely on the immediate crisis. It must prepare British farming for the years ahead. Wildfires across France and Spain, alongside the drought experienced here at home, demonstrate how extreme weather can disrupt food production.
When global supplies are under pressure, strengthening domestic food production becomes more important than ever. Shoring up our food supplies and building resilience in our food system is essential to this, and by investing in long-term supply contracts, it enables British farmers to strategically invest in developing their businesses, which strengthens the resilience of the whole supply chain.
As our climate changes, our food system must change with it. The wider supply chain has an important role to play. Longer-term contracts would give farm businesses the trust, certainty and confidence they need to invest in their future, whether through multi-year horticultural contracts or dairy contracts that offer fairer, more transparent contract terms and for our arable sector, which isn’t able to irrigate, we need government to publish its findings of the supply chain fairness review.
Food security goes hand in hand with water security. Last winter brought ample rainfall that could have been stored and used to support farmers through this summer’s drought. In order to prepare for increasingly dry conditions, more flexible abstraction licenses and a streamlined planning process are vital.
Yet due to our inefficient licensing and planning system, British farmers and growers are continually facing barriers to investing in the on-farm infrastructure in buildings and reservoirs that they need. In an age where finances are incredibly tight, farmers and growers need practical financial support through the Water Management Grant and an expanded Annual Investment Allowance.
Now is the time for government, regulators and the food supply chain to show farmers that they have their backs, as a resilient food system can only be built together.
Paul Tompkins is deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales
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