British farmers have lost £1.19billion in income from arable crops last year following the extreme wet and stormy weather, official figures show.
While the overall UK farm income was up from £6.1billion to £7.7billion between 2023 and 2024, income from the main arable crops fell, according to the Environment Department’s (Defra) farmer income figures.
Barley, wheat and oilseed rape significantly fell, while potatoes production slightly rose, according to an analysis of the figures by the the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank.
Last year, the UK registered its third-worst harvest on record due to extreme wet weather in the period when farmers plant key crops.
British farmers have lost £1.19billion in income from arable crops last year following the extreme wet and stormy weather, official figures show
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In addition, the ongoing fall in cereal and oilseed prices, following the peaks of 2022, added to the falling income.
It comes amid growing fear that farmers could be facing another poor harvest this year following the hottest spring on record and the driest conditions in decades.
England suffered the driest three months from March to May in more than 100 years, Met Office figures show.
Farmers face another poor harvest this year following the hottest spring on record and the driest conditions in decades
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He told the People's Channel: "After the wettest 18 months on record, we've now had one of the driest springs on record, and that's challenging because it means crops haven't grown. Development is slow, yields are going to be affected."
The mixed arable and beef farmer based in Sussex added: "That crucial spring period of planting and growth just hasn't given the results that it needed to."
Exwood, who represents approximately 45,000 NFU members across the country, warned that "if it remains hot and dry, it will get very challenging".
The Environment Agency has warned that whilst there is not currently a drought in England, there is a "medium risk of one this summer".
NFU Deputy President David Exwood runs a mixed arable and beef farm in Sussex and represents approximately 45,000 NFU members across the countryGetty
To combat the dry weather, the NFU has called for a £5.6billion budget in Labour's upcoming June spending review to address this funding gap and support farmers in delivering both food security and environmental benefits.
On June 11, the chancellor will deliver her first multi-year spending review settlement, and the first from a Labour Government since the 2000s.
Exwood told GB News that the current allocation of approximately £2.5billion per year falls significantly short of what is needed to ensure food security in Britain.
He warned that farming confidence has reached "unprecedented lows" since the election last July.