Farming and environmental groups are calling on the government to act now to protect Britain’s food supply as fields across the country are parched and crops under strain.
The coalition of groups is urging Labour to safeguard agricultural funding in June's spending review, as continued dry weather places mounting pressure on farms and the environment.
With parts of the country seeing as little as 20mm of rain across March and April, they warn that crop yields are suffering and grass growth for livestock has stalled.
The NFU, along with six environmental groups, including the RSPB and the National Trust, are calling on the chancellor to maintain long-term investment in resilient and sustainable farming to address growing climate risks.
The government committed to £5 billion over two years in England to support the farming industry, but no commitment has been made beyond that.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering the future budget as part of the upcoming spending review.
The groups point to the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes – central to the UK’s climate adaptation strategy – as being under financial uncertainty, with no budget commitment beyond 2025.
The groups warn that this threatens progress on soil health, flood mitigation and drought resilience, all of which underpin domestic food security.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “The ongoing dry weather underlines the importance of government investment in a resilient, sustainable farming sector.
"Many [farmers] were under water only a few months ago and now find their soil dried out. That’s why it’s so important we build resilience into the sector.”
Beccy Speight, chief executive of the charity RSPB, described the ongoing situation as a “stark warning”.
“Farmers are being asked to respond to these challenges without the certainty of long-term investment," she added.
"Over 100,000 people have joined the RSPB in calling on the UK government to protect and grow investment in nature-friendly, climate-resilient farming.”
Hilary McGrady, director-general of the National Trust, said that without proper investment, extreme weather effects "are only going to get worse".
"A short-term budget cut may seem attractive given the country's finances, but it will only deepen the spending blackhole.”
The coalition includes the NFU, RSPB, National Trust, Woodland Trust, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Green Alliance, and Wildlife and Countryside Link.
Earlier this year, over 50 environmental and farming groups wrote to the chancellor to set out their case to protect the farming budget.
