Farmers Warn UK Food Security Is At Risk Amid Fuel, Energy and Climate Pressures

Farmers attending the Royal Bath and West Show have voiced growing concerns about the future of farming and the security of the nation's food supply.

The Royal Bath and West Show is expected to attract thousands of spectators and has been described as a holiday for farmers [BBC]

Delegates described 2024 as a "strange year", citing problems from weak milk prices and a rural housing squeeze to rising mental-health pressures across farming communities. But the most urgent worries center on projected increases in fuel and energy costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East and on-the-ground impacts from climate change.

Potential increases in fuel costs are a real concern for some farmers [BBC]

Richard Clothier, managing director of Wyke Farms in Somerset, warned: "With climate change and the other geopolitical challenges around the world, food security can't be taken for granted any more." He added: "There are a lot of parallels between energy security and food security, and we've seen quite blatantly how when things go wrong with energy how devastating it can be."

Delegates pointed to immediate supply and price pressures. About 30% of the world's fertiliser chemicals and roughly 20% of the oil that normally moves by sea passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has closed since early March. That disruption has pushed prices up globally, and British farmers are beginning to feel those effects.

David Cotton says the changes in climate are having an effect on farmers [BBC]

Jeremy Moody, secretarial adviser to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, said: "Food security means different things to different people. We look at the amount of food we could produce in this country for consumption in this country, and that has fallen from well over 70% to now below 60%. We're now in a much more unstable set of international conditions and that raises pre-wartime type questions about what we could actually produce."

The show followed the hottest late-May Bank Holiday on record, and many farmers say extreme weather is already affecting their operations. Last summer's prolonged high temperatures brought drought in several regions, and this spring combined a wet winter with two unusually dry months.

Maureen Trott says mental health is a rising concern among the farming community [BBC]

"It's been a strange year because we've had two dry months again this spring after a wet winter," said David Cotton, chairman of the Dairy Show and trustee of the Bath and West Society. "Everything is so early — we're making hay in May and you shouldn't make hay in May. You never know what's coming and you've got to be prepared for it."

Farmers say unpredictable weather and rising input costs are forcing them to reconsider cropping choices and land management. Cotton explained many are weighing options such as switching to more spring-sown crops, entering environmental schemes, or planting cover and flower crops to rebuild soil health rather than risking a failed cereal or vegetable crop.

Maureen Trott, a farmer and chief livestock steward who also works on the Farming Community Network helpline, said financial worries — particularly low milk prices and succession issues — are the most common reason for calls. She added that mental-health concerns are rising and that many farmers prefer talking to fellow farmers who understand the pressures firsthand: "Farmers with mental health issues like to talk to the FCN because we are farmers, so we understand the problems."

The Royal Bath and West Show runs until 30 May and organisers expected tens of thousands of visitors over the weekend. For more local coverage, follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X, or send story ideas by email or WhatsApp to the contact numbers provided by organisers.