'Worst harvest in living memory' farmer blames last year's rains and warns: 'next year will be worse'

Richard Yates, who has been a farmer for more than 40 years, says last year's rain has seen yields in his fields down by a third.

Mr Yates, who farms land in Middleton Scriven near Bridgnorth, said most of the county's farmers are seeing a poor harvest this year, and the same picture is being experienced by farmers across the UK.

“It has been the worst in living memory,” Mr Yates told the Shropshire Star. “We had awful wet last year and a late cold spring and many farmers are saying the same thing.

“Because of the weather a lot of us could not drill our seed or were drilling into a bad seed bed.

“I've a field of beans that should have been harvested that is still in a field and it may end up staying there.”

He said yields of crops such as beans, cereals and maize were down by more than a third and he fears things could be even worse next year.

“I should be getting three tonnes a field, and I'm getting two," said Mr Yates. "It is the worst in living memory, and last month's deluge means next year's is going to be even worse.”

The news comes after a report last month predicted UK farmers are heading for one of worst harvests on record, according to research based on government data.

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said 2024 is set to be one of the worst three harvests since detailed records began in 1983, just behind 2020 and 2001.

The organisation predicted that the wet weather in 2023 will see harvest's across the country be down by over 13 per cent on the five-year average.