Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of the recent period of prolonged and increased rainfall on the agricultural sector.

The actual impact on yield and quality of several arable crops will not be known until harvest; from mid-August onwards, but the Department expects some impact and is assessing what that might be. Early indications from the June AHDB Planting and Variety Survey suggests that, while the 2024 cropping area has reduced compared with 2023, the magnitude of the reduction is smaller than was projected in March 2024. Yields and productivity is also dependent on individual farmer decisions, region, area and in the case of the arable sector, crop.

The UK agricultural sector is highly resilient and adaptable and operates in an open market with the value of commodities established by those in the supply chain.

Following the recent period of prolonged wet weather the Department’s current assessment is that while there may be implications for certain commodities, price rises are likely to be within a normal range and should not cause significant issues with business viability or overall supply, with any possible shortfalls being met by imports.