UK Farmers Warn Climate Change Threatens Food Supply and Livelihoods

A new study has revealed that over 80% of UK farmers are worried about climate change which is making it harder for them to farm and earn a living. The report, published by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), highlights that extreme weather like drought, floods, heatwave are damaging crops, reducing income, and threatening the country’s food supply.

According to the survey of 300 farmers across the UK are badly affected from climate change, 87% reported that overall farm productivity has gone down, 84% reported that their crop yields have reduced, and more than 75% have lost income due to worsening weather conditions. Over the last five years, 78% of farmers experienced drought, and more than half dealt with heatwaves. Surprisingly, only 2% of farmers said they had not faced any extreme weather till now.

Farmers warned that country’s ability of growing its own food is at risk since weather patterns has become more unpredictable. Tom Lancaster, an analyst with ECIU, stated, “Farmers are on the frontline of climate change, and this research shows the real impact it's having on their work and their lives.”

The British Retail Consortium, which represents over 200 major UK retailers, also linked rising food prices to climate-related damage to harvests, warning that hot weather and poor yields are pushing up costs for consumers.

The study comes amid growing fears for the 2025 harvest, following what experts are calling the warmest and driest spring in recent memory. Income from arable crops dropped by more than £1 billion last year, marking one of the worst years for UK farming in decades.

Anthony Curwen, an arable farmer from Kent, shared his concerns, saying, “It’s getting harder to farm with the impacts of climate change. We’ve had to deal with extreme droughts, floods, and back to drought again in just a few years. Many of us are now worried about whether we even have a sustainable future.”

Farmers are calling on the government for stronger support to help them adapt to climate change. Nearly 60% of farmers in the survey said they want more long-term certainty and better-designed green farming schemes.

“What we really need is stability and help to become more resilient,” Curwen added. “With the climate hitting us hard, the government should be backing us, not adding to the uncertainty.”