From tractors stuck in muddy paddocks to raw sewage washing up from clogged waterways, extreme rain and flooding have wreaked havoc on British farmers this year. The soggy and turbulent weather—exacerbated by climate change—has stunted their ability to provide homegrown crops for bread, beer and nearly every grocery aisle.
Britain has seen its sixth wettest spring since records began in 1836, according to the Met Office. The outcome has devastated fields for growing grains like wheat and barley, which the UK usually produces to levels that can mostly meet domestic needs. The unseasonable conditions have also delayed supplies of British strawberries and even led to the death of livestock.
The UK’s ruling Conservative party, which is polling dismally ahead of a general election in July, has been looking to avoid more bad news and gain support among voters—including those in agricultural communities. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak launched a £50 million flood support scheme for farmers in April, but for many of them the relief won’t help with this year’s crops.
Livestock has also struggled with the weather. Around 15 percent of Ward’s lambs were stillborn after Short Ferry Farm had to evacuate heavily pregnant ewes. Still, it is a challenge to find a supplier in Europe that isn’t being impacted by extreme conditions. Soggy fields are limiting crop planting in France. Unseasonable cold snaps and droughts have hit Black Sea grain growth. Germany flooded earlier this month.
“The sewage companies are getting away with murder,” says Ben Cooper, a farmer in Wiltshire who saw human waste flowing into his front yard. Cooper also planted crops later than usual, and in rushing to do work trapped a tractor in a muddy field.
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