Farmers are 'a month behind' due to wet weather

Andrew Blenkiron said work on his farm was probably "a month behind where we would like to be"

Farmers say record rainfall and warm temperatures will cost them thousands in land preparation and crop damage.

Farmers in Suffolk described the conditions as "frustrating" and there were fears this year's harvest would be affected.

Last month was the warmest February on record for England and Wales, as well as the wettest on record for southern England.

Work on some farms is believed to be at least a month behind schedule.

Andrew Blenkiron, a farmer and director at Euston Estate in Suffolk, said the conditions have been "frustrating and costly" for sowing and harvesting crops this year.

He said the wet conditions affected the sowing of autumn crops as well as the harvesting of sugar beet over the winter and left a riverside sheep grazing area flooded for most of the season.

The River Black Bourn has burst its banks several times in recent months

He said last month had been particularly difficult.

"We can't get on and get any land work done now so we are struggling to prepare land for the planting of spring crops," he said.

"We're probably a month behind where we would like to be and that's starting to be very frustrating."

Glenn Buckingham said he has had to resow wheat because of the weather, which is costly

Glenn Buckingham, a farm manager on the Helmingham Estate in Suffolk and county chair for the National Farmers' Union (NFU), said the conditions could easily lead to losses of several thousand pounds.

At his farm, he said they had to re-sow about a fifth of winter wheat, adding: "The delay in what we have re-sown amounts to a cost and potentially a yield.

"We've spent a few more days in the fields in difficult conditions - and we have got there, we've got the crops away and it costs a bit more seed - so a few thousand pounds. It's very easy for it to be several thousand pounds."

Fields and roads in various parts of Suffolk are flooded

Mr Buckingham added that the conditions could also cause a loss in the position they would have been in for a decent harvest in 2024.

The Met Office said East Anglia had experienced both its warmest and wettest February on record, with an average of 106.4mm of rainfall across the month, beating the previous record of 95.2mm set in 1916.

It also recorded an average temperature of 8.2C (47F), surpassing the previous record of 7.6C (46F) set in 1990.

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