Farmer loses crops worth thousands in dry spell

Farmer Ed Rhodes says he has lost his crop of sweetcorn worth more than £10,000

A farmer in Devon says he is one of many losing thousands of pounds of crops because of this summer's extreme dry weather.

Ed Rhodes runs a mixed organic farm of beef, sheep and vegetables across 250 acres (100 hectares) in Broadclyst. He says he has already lost his sweetcorn, valued at more than £10,000 and part of his broad bean crop worth more than £2,000.

Industry experts say an increasing volatility in weather patterns is challenging the UK's ability to produce a continuous supply of food.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said its "commitment to resilient farming" was "steadfast" and £11.8bn had been allocated.

Mr Rhodes said he was now desperately trying to save his crop of leeks.

He says recent rainfall is a "drop in the ocean" and will not undo the damage already caused.

Mr Rhodes uses a vacuum tanker holding 10,000 litres of water at a time to try to keep the leeks alive.

He is only allowed to use a maximum of two tanks a day, which he says is "just about preserving life".

He adds: "Without that, I think the vast majority of what I've planted this year would be dead and what is a difficult situation would have become an impossible situation."

Ed Rhodes says the extreme weather has made farming this year feel "relentless"

Mr Rhodes says with so many British producers struggling, customers will have to accept their vegetables will not look as good and may cost more.

He describes farming this year as "relentless" adding: "It's just been constant. The workload never reduces."

Jack Ward, director of the British Growers Association, says as the weather becomes more extreme, the UK's food supply system needs to become more resilient. He says the government needs to invest more in the storage of rain when it falls in the winter.

"We saw parts of the country this year over the winter where flooding was widespread and most of that ended up going out to sea within a matter of hours or days, and here we are six months later short of water," he said.

In response, a Defra spokesperson said: "Our commitment to resilient farming and food security is steadfast - allocating a record £11.8bn towards sustainable farming and food production.

"We are working with farmers to build greater resilience to climate change including through the National Drought Group and Floods Resilience Taskforce."