Food Prices to Rise Due to Wet Weather

The British Retail Consortium said droughts and heatwaves in the US and Russia have already increased grain costs, and the NFU added that average wheat yields in England were down by 14.1%, although many farmers have experienced even more severe drops.

Low harvests have also meant smaller fruit and vegetables will be offered for sale in shops.

Peter Kendall, president of the NFU, said, “There are many farmers who are down 25 to 30% on the wheat crop. In some cases you looked from the outside and you thought, this crop will do over four tonnes to the acre – and it’s been struggling to do three and some cases two tonnes to the acre.

“It’s been soul destroying for the farmers growing the crops. The challenge for the pig and poultry market is trying to make sure that retailers pay a fair price, because in pigs 50% of the cost is grain, poultry it’s 60% – and these farmers at the moment, because the prices haven’t responded yet, they’re actually saying I’m not going to fill my sheds with poultry or pigs any more,” he added.

Richard Dodd, head of media at the BRC, commented, “Whilst retailers are certainly doing all they can to protect customers from the full impact, of course some of that inevitably will impact on shop prices.”