Farmers face £600m hit as second-worst harvest on record intensifies pressure

British farmers are set to collectively lose around £600 million after poor growing conditions produced the second-worst wheat crop on record.

New figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs revealed that the UK wheat crop fell to 11.1 million tonnes in 2024, down from 14 million tonnes the previous year.

This is the lowest level recorded since 2020, when pandemic disruptions significantly affected harvest yields. Wet weather, which hampered planting and halted crop growth, was the main factor, although the area of ​​land devoted to wheat also shrank by 11 percent.

Tom Lancaster of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said the poor harvest represents a £600 million hit to British agriculture. He said: “This year’s harvest was shocking, and climate change is the reason.” “The impacts will worsen unless we reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero.”

Other crops also suffered under the difficult conditions. According to Matt Darragh of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Council, “cereal and oilseed production in the UK has faced significant challenges”, especially for winter-sown varieties. In wheat, barley, oats and oilseeds, production contracted by 13 percent this year to 20 million tons.

The number of weak harvests is falling as the agricultural sector faces a series of policy changes and financial pressures. Farmers this week staged protests and blocked roads in a bid to deter the government from introducing a new inheritance tax regime that would limit long-standing exemptions for agricultural property. Under the planned changes, farmers will only pass on tax-free land if they survive for seven years after doing so, raising concerns that some may take drastic action due to stress and uncertainty.

Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers’ Union, warned MPs that looming tax changes could prompt vulnerable farmers to consider suicide. At a time when harvest shortfalls and extreme weather events are already putting pressure on profits, a shift in policy could undermine the resilience of Britain’s agricultural industry.