UK Drought Threatens Food Shortages as July Rainfall Falls to 8% of Average
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 2
UK Drought Threatens Food Shortages as July Rainfall Falls to 8% of Average
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 2
Summary
Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union, said some food products could run short if drought persists, with wheat and oat yields already "very, very poor" and livestock farmers forced to use winter feed.
5.6mm of rain fell in England by July 30 and 7.9mm in Wales—both just 8% of their long-term July averages—after successive heatwaves left rivers depleted and water supplies under strain.
More than 20 million people are now under hosepipe bans, while vegetable growers are running low on water, cutting UK output and raising production costs.
Bradshaw urged the government to treat water security as part of national security, calling for more reservoirs and tax breaks to help farmers build water storage for future droughts.