Potato farmer fears for crop amid 'relentless' rain

Alastair Heath owns a farm in Great Bolas

A Shropshire potato farmer is warning spuds could be in short supply due to wet weather.

Excessive rain has been damaging crops and preventing planting, farmers across the country have told the BBC this week.

Among them is Alastair Heath, who owns a farm facing challenging weather conditions in Great Bolas.

He told BBC Shropshire that rainfall had been relentless, risking supply shortages and increased prices for the consumer.

"It's just been a slog all the way from April last year," he said.

"It's ultimately been relentless and it's really hard to keep on top of it all."

Consumers could face increased prices, farmers warn

Mr Heath said very dry summers and unusually wet winters had left him with lower yields, making costs harder to manage.

He said his operation was now looking at how potatoes could be stored for longer, giving him cover against less desirable conditions.

"You adapt and you build on things," he explained. "You have to change the way you do things just to try and get what you can in."

'Losing sleep'

Mr Heath is not alone.

William Gribbon, who manages Heygate Farms in Swaffham, Norfolk, said the financial risk of producing potatoes had "escalated".

"It's costing us more money every year to produce a crop of potatoes and we are reliant on the weather to do that as well," he said.

Ashley Jones, from Cornwall, also warned of a "disastrous" harvest this year if wet weather continued.

He said he was struggling to get tractors on to his land near Saltash because of deep mud.

"It is starting to cause a little bit of stress and I'm losing a bit of sleep," he said.