Over 80% of UK farmers say climate change is seriously threatening their ability to make a living, with extreme weather hitting productivity and profits hard, new research reveals.
The study reveals the widespread disruption caused by increasingly severe weather, with farmers and growers bearing the brunt.
Over the past five years, 86% say they have experienced extreme rainfall, 78% have faced drought, and more than half have been hit by heatwaves.
A mere 2% reported no extreme weather impacts — a stark indicator of how pervasive the crisis has become.
Commissioned by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) and conducted by Grounded Research, the survey questioned 300 farmers across the UK.
When asked about the impact of extreme weather on their farms, 87% cited reduced productivity, 84% saw a decline in crop yields or livestock output, and three-quarters reported lower incomes.
Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at ECIU, said: “Farmers are on the front line of climate change and this research reveals what impact that is having on them and their businesses.
"From lost crops and livestock to soil erosion, farmers are battling these impacts across more fronts than most with repeated heatwaves, droughts and periods of extreme rainfall all taking a toll on farmer confidence.”
He added: “Beyond farmers, the scale of these climate impacts also calls into question the UK’s food security in the face of climate change driven extreme weather.
"We need to be taking these risks more seriously, with more support for farming to adapt and build resilience, as well as more urgent action to help farmers reduce their own emissions.”
The research follows recent reports confirming a billion-pound loss for arable farmers due to last year’s unprecedented wet winter, which led to one of the worst harvests in decades, alongside growing concerns over this year’s harvest following the warmest and one of the driest springs on record.
In response to these challenges, more than two-thirds of farmers have altered their farming practices—changing what they grow, joining environmental schemes, or investing in diversification.
Despite this, over 30% are ‘highly concerned’ about their future ability to make a living from farming, with half somewhat concerned.
Worries intensify when considering the next generation, with two in five farmers highly concerned about their successors’ prospects.
Kent farmer Anthony Curwen reflected on the situation: “It’s getting increasingly difficult to farm given the impacts we’re now seeing with climate change.
"We’ve gone from drought to Biblical floods and back to drought in the space of just a few years. It’s devastating and many of us in farming now fear for a sustainable future.
“What we need most now from government is a bit of stability and some better support to help us become resilient to these impacts.
"If we want to retain a robust supply of home-grown food, we need to invest more into the soil, water and wildlife that build this resilience and bolster the fundamentals of our food security.
"In an era when the climate is giving us a kicking, we need government to have our back, not add to the uncertainty.”
Many farmers in the survey called for stronger policies to help them adapt, with two-thirds highlighting the need for better farmgate prices to reduce financial pressures and enable environmental work.
Nearly 60% called for more long-term certainty in green farming schemes. These concerns echo ongoing government efforts to improve farm profitability and follow disruptions to the Sustainable Farming Incentive in England.
