Farmers Warn of Crop Yield Crisis After Unprecedentedly Wet Season

UK farming leaders have warned of a brewing crisis after an unprecedentedly wet autumn and severe winter led to a drastic reduction in crop yields. Since September 2023, Britain has been hit by 11 named storms, with the Met Office reporting that last year southeast England suffered the ninth wettest autumn since 1836. Severe weather conditions and heavy rainfall have affected the level of crop planting and subsequently the level of crop losses. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) estimated that wheat was down by 15 percent and winter barley by 22 percent in the biggest reduction in cropped areas since 2020. Oilseed rape yields are expected to be down by 28 percent in the biggest decrease since the 1980s....