2023's Soaked Summer Cut UK Farm Income Nearly 20%, Farm Output By 13% YOY
Income from farming in England plummeted by 19% last year after floods meant harvesting many crops was impossible. Farmers have called for more support from the government as the climate breaks down, meaning agricultural businesses are no longer able to count on mild UK weather and increasingly face drought and floods.
Farms also contributed less to England’s economy in 2023 at £10bn, a fall of £1bn or 8.7% compared with 2022. Farmers’ total income from agriculture in England was £4.5bn, down £1.1bn or 19.0% compared with 2022. The drop in total income was driven by a large decrease in crop outputs, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Output, crops that came off farms to be sold, was £9.9bn, down £1.5bn or 13.1% compared with 2022. This was caused by a mixture of a crash in prices of crops such as wheat, combined with poor yields.
According to the Met Office, 1,695.9mm of rain fell in England from October 2022 to March 2024, more than in any 18-month period since the organisation started collecting comparable data in 1836. Scientists have said climate breakdown is likely to cause more intense periods of rain in the UK.
Martin Lines, the chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network and an arable farmer, said: “Farm income has significantly decreased due to the impacts of climate change on weather and market price fluctuations. Farmers find themselves at a disadvantage due to market forces, even though there’s plenty of money in the system.
“The income that farmers receive from food production has declined, while food retailers continue to make record profits. Without adapting to a changing climate, the future of UK farmers, businesses, and food security could be at risk.”
EDIT
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/12/floods-fuelled-19-drop-in-income-from-farming-in-england-in-2023
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