We’re 30 years behind in the battle to defeat global warming

THE hot weather which has unusually coincided with the school holidays is very welcome – if you are on holiday, writes Ro Collingborn. You may need to ask someone to water the garden while you’re away, but no need to ask anyone to mow your dried-up lawn.

Your only problem is that it’s too hot, but sea winds by the seaside provide relief and there’s normally shade to be found for the oldies. No need to drag the children round expensive attractions when a sunny beach beckons. A much cheaper holiday with fewer decisions about where to go.

Farmers are less happy. The driest July since 1935 has left pale yellow pastures which are normally green, and nothing for livestock to eat. Many dairy farmers are on full winter rations, and some have brought their cattle inside. This means that feed will be short going into the winter and will likely run out before spring.

Harvest yields are down and farmers are unable to sow the next crop when soils are too baked up and dry, lacking the necessary moisture to keep the seeds going. And we could do without this extra pressure in a year where all our costs are shooting up – even higher than the 13% inflation projected by the Bank of England.

At this time of year for us, as dairy farmers, we would normally be experiencing a less frantic time. All the cattle would be out at grass, the main silage crop be over, and many cattle would be dry, resting in the fields, in preparation for calving in early September.

Normally, labour requirements would have eased, but now they’re at full stretch again. With the drought, we are having to take out extra feed to the young cattle out at pasture, otherwise they would have very little to live on. The cows have full winter rations and stay in the yard after milking until they are full, to go out again on the bare white/yellow fields. It’s important to minimise heat stress, which means making sure there is some shade from trees and hedges in the paddocks, adequate clean water and fans in the sheds for indoor systems.

We are being told that electricity generation by solar panels drops off when temperatures exceed 25C. I wonder how this works in hot countries? Hydro electricity is also badly affected when water flow drops. Wildfires are a real problem, up 427% from last year and the fire service is overstretched. This is a major problem across Europe and the US, with even Siberia being affected.

Trees are yellowing and losing their leaves. Only an idiot would light a barbecue in rural areas. Even a spark from a tractor or combine can start a fire under these conditions and, once started, the fire will roar away, travelling at record speeds – faster than a man can run.

When we heard about global warming, causing a 2% increase in temperature, we hadn’t realised that it wouldn’t be an even increase; rather it’s becoming long summer periods of record temperatures with no rain forecast and severe flooding at other times of the year.

Global warming seems to have come on us quickly but that isn’t actually the case. It’s more that the scientific warnings have been brushed aside by successive governments around the world. In the States, matters have been even worse, with the oil and gas industries among others, financing climate change denial and paying journalists to muddy the waters.

The tragedy of this is that we are now 30 years behind; it needed pressure to change to a green economy, for development of robust science to combat the worst effects, and to try to reverse what could be an unstoppable process, years ago.

Are electric cars and batteries really the answer; or does it lie in the development of hydrogen, or more likely some other process not yet invented? Invention was never going to be taken to the development stage while gas and oil were cheaper. Commercial pressure was needed.

With the huge rise in energy costs, the commercial pressure is there, but getting new green inventions that will negate our excess carbon and methane release into the atmosphere expediting global warming, will take time we no longer have.

Water is a also a huge issue. Here in the UK, investment in new reservoirs has been lagging behind, creating more pressure on declining river supplies. Anglers have been vocal in pointing out current problems caused to wildlife and the environment by low water levels, caused by a long period of low or zero rainfall.

A solution for farmers would be on-farm reservoirs; and most farms could support one. However, they are expensive to build and government help is needed to push this as a major development.

Another way to save a lot of water would be to give farmers grants to upgrade their aging pipework which travels vast distances around the farm.

Most of these were put in 70 years ago, and are inadequate for modern needs and constantly breaking down. It’s often very difficult to find where a leak is.

Investment in upgrading or putting in new water systems would be a massive improvement. Equally, grants for solar panels on roofs would be very welcome. When incomes are low, such investment is very challenging.

Thinking about hot air and when wondering which Tory candidate to vote for (those who do have a vote) it’s salient to consider their position on agriculture. The words of Sir Robert Goodwell, the new chair of the Efra Select Committee, are very to the point:

“At least Rishi understands agriculture. Liz is telling everybody that she is a friend to farmers but it was under her watch that we did not have the proper scrutiny process on the Australian deal.”

■ Ro Collingborn has been dairy chairman of the Women’s Food and Farming Union, on the Milk Development Council, the Veterinary Products Committee, the RSPCA Council and was a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust director

Adam Gerrard > The driest July since 1935 has left pale yellow pastures which are normally green, and nothing for livestock to eat