Farmers are facing growing uncertainty over costs, policy and the future of British agriculture
More than four in ten British farmers have considered quitting farming as financial pressure, policy uncertainty and increasingly unpredictable weather take their toll, new research suggests.
McCain Foods’ latest Farmdex survey, released on Wednesday (7 October), found 42% of farmers had considered leaving the industry because of financial constraints, while 40% questioned whether they would still be farming in ten years’ time.
The findings point to mounting pressure across the sector, with 86% saying policy uncertainty is negatively affecting their farm and 87% reporting that rising input costs had significantly affected profitability over the past year.
More than a quarter of respondents, 27%, said they had either made a loss or broken even, while a further 29% recorded profits of just 1% to 5%.
Concern extends beyond individual farm businesses to the future of Britain’s food supply.
Just 5% of those surveyed said they were optimistic about the country’s long-term food security, while 87% were pessimistic.
At the same time, 91% said greater investment in British agriculture was needed to safeguard future food supplies.
The findings come from McCain’s second annual Farmdex survey of 200 farmers across Britain, examining sentiment around profitability, policy, climate, investment and food security.
Farmers also highlighted the importance of greater certainty before committing to future investment.
Some 61% said government support that improved long-term profitability would increase their confidence to invest, while 47% wanted simpler application and compliance requirements.
Trade policy has also become a more prominent concern, with 53% of respondents identifying better protection for British farmers as the most important action policymakers could take, up from 44% in 2025.
The report said farmers were concerned that cheaper imports produced to lower standards could undermine British produce, profitability and long-term food security.
Weather pressures are also having a growing impact on farm businesses, with 74% saying increasingly unpredictable conditions are making their farms harder to manage.
A further 27% identified climate change as one of the biggest pressures on farm finances, while 34% saw it as one of the biggest long-term threats to the growth of British farming.
Despite those pressures, many farmers continue to invest in sustainability.
Almost two thirds, 64%, said sustainable practices were essential to farming’s future, while 65% had invested to some extent in such measures over the past five years.
McCain said farmers who had invested significantly in sustainability were more optimistic about the future of the sector, with 35% expressing optimism compared with 17% across the survey as a whole.
James Young, vice president of agriculture at McCain Foods GB&I, said: “One year on from our inaugural Farmdex report, this year’s iteration should leave little doubt about the issues farmers are facing.”
He added: “While some indicators have improved, the overall picture shows a sector continuing to face significant challenges. The global picture is tumultuous and domestically it has been one of the hottest, driest summers on record.”
McCain is calling for greater investment in food and farming, wider adoption of regenerative agriculture and stronger action on water resilience.
It also wants more support for technology adoption and workforce skills, alongside trade deals which ensure imports are held to the same standards as British produce.
Young said: “No single group can secure the future of British farming alone. Farmers, businesses, industry bodies and policymakers all have a role to play in giving farmers greater certainty, creating a level playing field, and driving long-term investment.”
He added: “If we get that right, we can support profitable farms today while building a resilient food system for generations to come.”
The findings are based on an online survey of 200 farmers in Britain carried out by Republic between 22 and 31 July 2026.
The research tracked measures from the inaugural Farmdex survey, which questioned 200 British farmers in July 2025.
Exact demographic quotas could not be applied because of the nature of the sample, although the researchers said consistency with the previous survey was maintained across region, farm ownership and main type of farming.