Britain faces food shortages as three essential items hit highest prices in THREE years

BRITAIN is bracing for food shortages and painful price rises after a brutal drought left farms facing what could be their worst harvest in decades. The cost of wheat, dairy products and vegetables has already climbed to its highest level in three years. Experts warn the crisis could soon hit supermarket shelves, forcing families to pay more for everyday essentials. Farmers say a soaking winter followed by the driest summer in living memory has created disastrous growing conditions. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Crops have failed to develop properly, with some wheat standing at only half its usual height. Desperate growers have begun England’s earliest harvest on record in an attempt to save whatever they can. Nearly three quarters of England is now experiencing “flash drought”, according to the Environment Agency. The National Farmers’ Union has urged the Prime Minister to take immediate action to protect Britain’s food supply. NFU president Tom Bradshaw warned: “It does feel like there is going to be some shortages of food products.” Figures from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board show cereal yields are running well below the ten-year average. Some farms have suffered particularly severe losses. Most read in Money The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board revealed cereal yields are running well below the ten-year average, with some farms suffering huge losses. Its director of cereals and oilseeds, Anthony Hopkins, said: “Cereal yields have generally been below the 10-year average so far, with some farms experiencing significant reductions.” Meanwhile, analysts at investment bank Shore Capital have told The Telegraph that Britain is facing its “worst food security crisis in decades”. Experts Akhil Patel and Clive Black said the extreme weather could wreck homegrown food supplies and push up the cost of animal feed, hitting shoppers in the pocket. They said: “The UK has not been so close to a food security challenge for many decades.” MPs have warned that today’s problems on farms could become tomorrow’s crisis at supermarket checkouts. Alistair Carmichael, chairman of the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, said sharply reduced wheat and barley yields could affect consumers within six to 12 months. Britain may also struggle to solve the problem by buying cheaper produce from abroad. Farms across Europe are suffering from similarly punishing heat and drought, meaning imported food could become scarcer and more expensive. If supplies fall while demand remains steady, prices are likely to rise. That could trigger another food inflation shock later this year, piling more pressure on already stretched household budgets. Campaigners are calling on ministers to invest urgently in reservoirs, irrigation and better water storage. Comment now