Dry summer leads to 'terrible harvest' on farms

David Exwood runs Westons Farm near Horsham and is deputy president of the National Farmers' Union

Farmers faced some of their toughest challenges this year, leading to a loss of confidence in the industry, the deputy president of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) has said.

David Exwood, who runs Westons Farm near Horsham, said he was uncertain if he would profit at all from his crops, as other Sussex farmers said they had also been impacted by low harvest because of dry weather.

"With one of the driest summers on record, it just meant a terrible harvest this year," he said.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "We support our farmers with the largest nature-friendly budget in history to support sustainable food production."

"We know prolonged dry weather, followed by heavy rain, has hit some harvests," added the Defra spokesperson.

They said the government was investing in new technologies to help farmers grow more food at lower costs.

'So damaging'

Mr Exwood said 2025 "has been painful" and one of the worst in his 35-year career as he was uncertain if he would make any profit from his crops.

He said hay and grain yields have dropped, which means he has paid more to feed more than 200 cattle.

He added the inheritance tax on farmers would also have an impact on the future of the industry.

"People have been putting money aside to pay the tax, rather than reinvesting in farming. It's so damaging," he said.

"There's no confidence in the industry - we need government to invest so we can have a guarantee supply for food in this country."

Ollie Field, owner of Hooklands Barn in Ashington, West Sussex, said he produced 44% less hay compared to the last harvest - a loss of £50,000.

"The yields are down because of a dry season. We have had 20% to 25% down on cereal harvest," he said.

Leighton Snelgrove, a manager at a Sussex organic beef farm, said their cyclogen hay yield has been "down by at least 40%" compared to last season.

"This is having big impact on winter time," he added. "We have to buy some of the forage."

He said farming was facing a "challenging time", but believed that as along as farmers stand united and "not judge each other on their farming techniques", the industry could thrive again.

A spokesperson for the HM Treasury said it was supporting British farms with a "£1m annual investment allowance for plant and machinery investments, billions for sustainable food, and action to cut EU export costs".

They said 40% of agricultural property relief was worth £219m but goes to only 117 estates.

"Our reforms will channel that funding into vital public services," they added.