Provisional data from Defra suggests England set for historically poor harvest, as industry forecasts indicate the rest of Britain in a similar position.

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) has used provisional data on English crop areas for wheat, winter and spring barley, oats and oilseed rape combined with yield forecasts from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to estimate this year’s harvest for these key crops, which is set to be one of the worst three since detailed records began in 1983, just behind 2020 and 2001.

Commenting on the analysis, Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at ECIU said: “More than most, farmers are on the front line of climate change, and this is what that looks like. Extreme weather is already feeding through to higher food bills and a greater reliance on imports. Measures that capture carbon can also make farms more resilient with more hedges and trees helping to cut prevent soil loss, and healthier soils recovering faster from floods and drought.”

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