Oxfordshire farmer already seeing signs of drought after the driest start to Spring in 69 years
England's had the driest start to Spring in 69 years, warns Environment Agency
A farmer in Oxfordshire says they’re already seeing signs of drought in their crops while there’s growing concerns of summer drought after the driest start to Spring in 69 years.
The Environment Agency has warned of a "medium" risk of summer drought, leading to low reservoir levels, struggling crops and wildfires.
Anthony Henman, a fifth-generation farmer near Islip, and says he has had fields of crops that have failed.
“Winter barley is showing the effects of drought quite badly. Part of that is because it's on lighter ground because it's the only thing the only ground that we could plant stuff on in the autumn, in good conditions.
“The problem is the crops look so thin. You've got winter barley coming into ear, and it's probably only a foot tall. It does not look good when you've got a crop coming into ear, and it's only a foot tall.”
He added: “At times I really did not know what to do with myself because there's no certainty. You're looking at a field that's empty and like a lot of other farmers, I really struggled.
Water companies are also under pressure to do more to cut leaks and help customers save water.
Ofwat said while there is currently no hosepipe bans planned, it warned that water companies might have to implement measures including restrictions in the months ahead.
National Farmers' Union vice president Rachel Hallos said the situation on the ground remained variable across farming sectors, but farmers in some parts of the country had started to irrigate crops much earlier than normal.
Urging the Government to recognise water for food production, she said: "The extreme weather patterns we have experienced over the past few years is impacting our ability to feed the nation.
"This should include access to water in times of shortage to be secured through planning policies that support on-farm water storage, investment in water-use efficiency on farm, and innovation in more water efficient crops and farming systems."