Few farmers in the UK have escaped the impact of the climate crisis in recent years, with growers calling on the government to help them adapt to increasingly extreme conditions
A study from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) has found that more than 80 per cent of UK farmers are worried about the “devastating” impact of the climate crisis on their livelihoods.
Just 2 per cent of the 300 farmers surveyed said they had not experienced extreme weather in some form in the past five years, with 78 per cent having been hit by drought and more than half suffering the impact of heatwaves.
The study found that 87 per cent of farmers had experienced reduced productivity due to recent extreme weather, 84 per cent had suffered a drop in yields, and more than three-quarters had taken a hit to their income.
Tom Lancaster, an analyst at the ECIU, commented: “Farmers are on the front line of climate change, and this research reveals what impact that is having on them and their businesses. From lost crops and livestock to soil erosion, farmers are battling these impacts across more fronts than most with repeated heatwaves, droughts and periods of extreme rainfall all taking a toll on farmer confidence.”
Trade body the British Retail Consortium said it had drawn a direct link between the climate crisis and consumer prices, as UK supermarkets warn of price rises as yields are increasingly impacted by heat extremes.
Farmers have urged the UK government to help them adapt to the climate crisis, with almost 60 per cent citing the need for greater long-term certainty in designing green farming schemes across the country.
“Beyond farmers, the scale of these climate impacts also calls into question the UK’s food security in the face of climate change driven extreme weather,” said Lancaster. “We need to be taking these risks more seriously, with more support for farming to adapt and build resilience, as well as more urgent action to help farmers reduce their own emissions.”
Last month, the UK government backtracked on its controversial decision to close applications for its Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme.
Farmers who had already started their applications have now been given time to complete them, following the threat of legal action by the National Farmers’ Union threatened a legal challenge.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw commented: “The government’s abrupt and wholly unacceptable decision to close the scheme was always wrong. While it’s good to see an acknowledgement that the decision to close the scheme was flawed, we are disappointed by the constraints imposed, which will still leave many farmers unfairly disadvantaged.”
