Households ‘unable to cope with volatile food prices’

“Climate change is leading to more price volatility and British households are not equipped to cope. But it’s not just citizens who are struggling. So too are farmers. At both ends of our supply chains, the failures of our current food system are felt.

“The Farm to Fork summit should be setting out a visionary agenda for a food system which prevents global heating and provides affordable nourishing food, and ultimately allows farmers and citizens to thrive.”

The summit, hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Downing Street on May 14 to discuss food production and security comes against a backdrop of challenges for farmers, from an “unprecedented” wet winter leading to harvests being hit, to Brexit trading delays and costs and ongoing high input costs such as fertilisers.

According to the Met Office, 1,695.9mm of rain fell from October 2022 to March 2024, the highest amount for any 18-month period in England.

This has led to farmers’ fields being so waterlogged that they cannot be planted, or too wet for tractors to apply fertilisers, leading to poor crop condition.Tom Clarke, farmer and chairman of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) cereals and oilseeds sector council, told the briefing: “Farmers across the UK are really on the brink. It’s a fact that this year, this country is going to be growing, and therefore very likely harvesting, less food.”

Analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), based on AHDB crop area forecasts and Defra yield data, estimates the production of wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape may be down by four million tonnes compared to 2023, a reduction of 17.5 per cent. Compared to the 2015-2023 average, the decline would be over five million tonnes or 21.2 per cent.

The ECIU said there was also a risk that the price of staples such as bread, beer and biscuits could increase as the poor harvest may lead to higher costs.

Helen Browning, chief executive of the Soil Association, told yesterday’s briefing: “Climate change is threatening food security in this country, of that there is no doubt.”