Harvest in England the second worst on record because of wet weather

[BritDownUnder]

Not really permaculture but could be a warning for the future. I hear there are also tax effects on farmers in the new budget that are supposedly going to tax people when they inherit a farm from their parents. I don't have a problem with that as I will face inheritance taxes but most people who set up trusts and have a good tax accountant and lawyer manage to avoid it.

From the Grauniad

Wheat haul in England estimated to be down by 21%, with Britain’s wine producers also hit hard

The cold, damp weather, stretching from last autumn through this spring and early summer, has hit the rapidly developing UK wine industry particularly hard, with producers saying harvests are down by between 75% and a third, depending on the region.

On staple crops, England’s wheat haul is estimated to be 10m tonnes, or 21%, down on 2023, according to analysis of the latest government data by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

Winter barley was 26% down on last year, and the winter oilseed rape harvest was down 32%, in data released by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs on Thursday.

Some farms in southern England have lost their crops for the second year in a row. Many will now be relying on spring wheat once again this year, which only produces about half as much as winter wheat.