Latest news with #strawberrygrowers
BBC News
4 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
'The grass to feed my cows just hasn't grown'
A lack of grass caused by dry weather could leave one farmer facing an extra monthly bill of almost £1,000 for animal UK had its driest spring in 50 years in 2025, according to the Met Office. For some farmers, such as strawberry growers, the conditions have led to bumper yields - but other crops are livestock farmers like Helen Griffiths in Ashleworth, Gloucestershire, it means having to spend more to supplement her livestock's food."The grass growth generally keeps up with the cattle grazing until mid to late-July," she said. "This year, once they'd eaten off the grass that was there, that was it - the grass just hasn't grown." Mrs Griffiths said the lack of rain means the grass her cows and sheep would normally graze on at this time of year is not enough to sustain a result, she has had to dip into her stock of forage - hay and haylage - which would normally be saved for winter, and may have to buy in additional supplies. "I was quoted £30 per round hay bale delivered to the farm, which is quite high compared to previous years," she said."That's nearly £1,000 a month extra just feeding them because the grass isn't growing."Mrs Griffiths said the lack of rain has also impacted straw harvests for winter bedding, as grains have not grown as high as hoped. She added one of her fields which "typically floods" in winter only flooded "a little" in the past year, which she believes also impacted the grass."The weather seems to be increasingly extreme on different ends of the scale and as farmers that's something we have to battle on the frontline for," Mrs Griffiths said she is unsure what the implication may be for consumers."We don't necessarily dictate the prices," she explained. "It's very much down to big supermarkets and the big buyers." Meanwhile, Paul Keene said the sunshine has been "positive" for his strawberries, as it helps them "swell"."It really drives the flavour and we get the best crop ever," he said."When the strawberries are ready and it's a sunny day, we'll be full of customers eager to pick." But Mr Keene said his recently-planted pumpkins are "desperate for water"."We have just irrigated them furiously and a drop of rain would be most welcome," he said."We've got a reservoir full of water that will keep us going. As long as it gets filled up in winter, we're happy," he added.
Times
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Times
UK weather: Spring 2025 was hottest on record, fuelling drought fear
Britain has had its hottest and sunniest spring on record amid rising fears of widespread droughts this summer. Conditions described as 'unprecedented' by the Met Office also delivered the country's driest spring in more than 50 years. The average temperature for spring in the UK this year was 9.5C, up 1.4C on the long-term average for the season. Last year had been the record holder, and eight of the ten hottest springs have happened since 2000, noted by the Met Office as 'a sign of our changing climate'. Northern Ireland and Scotland were notably warmer, up 1.6C on the average. A study by American researchers has shown that spring is the fastest-warming season in Britain. The average spring temperature has increased by 1.8C since 1970, Climate Central, a research group, found. The Met Office said that average daytime temperatures were 'particularly remarkable' this spring, hitting a maximum of 14.6C, above the previous record of 14C in 1893. Overall, spring had 653.3 hours of sunshine, beating the lockdown spring of 2020 by more than 27 hours. The combination of sunny days and cool nights has been good news for strawberries, which growers say are bigger and sweeter than usual. However, it was also the UK's sixth-driest spring since records began in 1836. Only 128.2mm of rain fell between March and May this year, 40 per cent less than average. England had its driest spring since 1893. Conditions have left reservoirs at lower levels than they were during the drought of 2022, when widespread temporary hosepipe bans were implemented. Last week the Environment Agency officially declared drought across northwest England. The move has allowed water companies to progress to the next stages of their plans to conserve water. The Midlands and the northeast have also been particularly dry, although the water firm Severn Trent has insisted that no hosepipe ban will be necessary. Emily Carlisle, a Met Office scientist, said: 'The UK's climate continues to change. What's particularly notable about spring 2025 is the combination of record warmth and sunshine, alongside very low rainfall.' The reason for the hot, dry and sunny weather has been persistent high pressure systems dominating the atmosphere from February until late May, the agency said. Scientists are still investigating whether such weather systems are becoming more likely due to climate change. The heat has also been seen at sea, where a 'marine heatwave' affected much of the Irish coast and the west coast of the UK. Sea temperatures were up to 4C above normal, a phenomenon more usually seen in the Mediterranean. The prediction for this summer does not offer much relief for those who struggle in heat. The Met Office's three-month outlook, issued on Monday, said that summer was twice as likely to be hotter than normal.
