Britain could face shortages of certain foods, the president of the National Farmers’ Union has warned. This comes after parts of England experienced a punishing drought, following a winter where farms across the country faced floods, making planting extremely difficult.
Farmers in many parts of England currently lack access to water due to irrigation restrictions caused by the drought. This is the third drought in five years, with farming groups describing it as the “new normal” for British agriculture.
Wheat farmers report their crops are half their normal height, and England is seeing its earliest ever harvest as farmers attempt to salvage what they can. In some areas, there has been no rain for over a month, while multiple record-breaking heatwaves have dried out the soil since early summer.
Tom Bradshaw, president of the FU, stated that this could lead to food shortages and has asked the prime minister to take action. He suggested that farmers should receive tax breaks to build water storage systems on their land to prepare for future years.
The Met Office reported that England received just 8% of its meteorological average rainfall for July, likely making it the driest July on record. Approximately 23 million people across England and Wales are currently under a hosepipe ban. The dry weather has also contributed to wildfires, including a recent incident in Suffolk.
The heatwave is expected to continue into this week. The UK Health Security Agency has issued amber heat-health alerts for the East Midlands, east of England, south-east, and London regions from 9am on Monday 3 August to 9am on Wednesday 5 August. Yellow alerts are in place for the north-west, Yorkshire and The Humber, West Midlands, and south-west regions during the same period.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) noted that cereals such as wheat and barley have been particularly affected. Their first Harvest Report of 2026 found that the hot weather led to the earliest harvest since records began in 2006, with many farmers in the south and east of England completing harvest two to three weeks ahead of the long-term average. Cereal yields have generally been below the 10-year average so far, with some farms experiencing significant reductions.
Gavin Lane, president of the Country, Land and Business Association, warned that for many farmers, this could be their last harvest. He stated that a sodden winter followed by drought has left wheat at half its usual height and some crops not worth harvesting.