As temperatures soar, ‘exceptionally serious’ drought imperils UK farmers

What the report says

Farmers in England are confronting one of their hardest seasons in years as hot, dry weather deepens an “exceptionally serious” drought, according to Al Jazeera’s report from Cambridgeshire. The article focuses on Tom Pearson, who farms near Cambridge and has spent more than a decade shifting his family land toward regenerative practices, including no-till methods, lower chemical use and trial plots of older grain varieties. Even so, he says his fields have been badly affected, with cracked soil, failed cover crops and yields down for a third straight year.

The report says almost three-quarters of land in England is in drought after record-low rainfall and unusually high temperatures, while England and Wales have had their driest July on record since 1836. It also notes that this is the third drought in five years and the second year in a row, adding pressure to growers already facing higher costs and volatile markets. The National Farmers’ Union is urging more investment in drought- and disease-resistant crops, as well as better on-farm water storage planning.

Pearson argues that better soils can help with resilience, but not enough to overcome extreme weather on their own. He also says farmers need better data on which varieties and practices can withstand harsher conditions. Al Jazeera places the UK’s experience in a wider European context, citing risk modelling that found climate-related agricultural losses are already substantial across the EU and could grow further by mid-century. The article highlights how drought, rising costs and climate adaptation are reshaping farm economics and food production.