The National Farmers Union (NFU) will hold an emergency meeting with British authorities this week to address the impact of this summer's heatwave on agriculture.
The drought has resulted in "tinderbox conditions," according to the NFU. \ Donal O'Leary
ADVERTISEMENT
The NFU will host a "drought summit" in London on Wednesday with representatives from other farming organisations, the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Rural Payments Agency and farming charities.
Despite this weekend's rain over parts of the UK, the NFU warned that many parts of England and Wales haven’t seen any significant rain since the end of May resulting in "tinderbox conditions".
The meeting will address the availability of forage as livestock farmers dig into winter reserves, water resources for irrigated crops and growing conditions for cereals including the "risk of standing crop fires".
ADVERTISEMENT
"There could be serious concerns for many farmers if this extended spell of warmer, drier weather continues as the long-range forecast suggests," said NFU president Minette Batters. "This unprecedented spell of weather really should be a wake-up call for us all. It’s a timely reminder that we shouldn’t take food production for granted. Farming is one of the most affected industries when it comes to managing volatility."
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
The NFU will host a "drought summit" in London on Wednesday with representatives from other farming organisations, the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Rural Payments Agency and farming charities.
Despite this weekend's rain over parts of the UK, the NFU warned that many parts of England and Wales haven’t seen any significant rain since the end of May resulting in "tinderbox conditions".
The meeting will address the availability of forage as livestock farmers dig into winter reserves, water resources for irrigated crops and growing conditions for cereals including the "risk of standing crop fires".
"There could be serious concerns for many farmers if this extended spell of warmer, drier weather continues as the long-range forecast suggests," said NFU president Minette Batters. "This unprecedented spell of weather really should be a wake-up call for us all. It’s a timely reminder that we shouldn’t take food production for granted. Farming is one of the most affected industries when it comes to managing volatility."
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS