‘Wake-up call’ as East Anglian vegetable crop yields hit by heatwave

James Foskett, of James Foskett Farms at Bromeswell, shows how some of his carrot crop was affected by the heatwave Picture: SARAH CHAMBERS (Image: Archant)

National Farmers' Union (NFU) vice president Stuart Roberts spent a day visiting James Foskett Farms in Bromeswell near Woodbridge and Mann Potatoes at Iken, near Snape, both on the Suffolk coast, to see how the rain-starved region's farmers had been coping with the summer heatwave, and saw for himself how vegetable growers and livestock farmers have been affected.

Mr Foskett took him to a depleted farm reservoir, just 2ft deep in water where normally it was at 14ft. He explained how, until thunderstorms broke at the end of July bringing some much-needed respite, it had been completely drained for the first time since it was built 10 years ago.

Meanwhile his team has been working frantically to ensure crops including potatoes, onions, sugarbeet, carrots, organic beetroot were irrigated.

But despite their efforts, the exceptionally high temperatures, which soared above 30C, took their toll on vegetable crops, with some growing areas suffering more severely than others.

The carrot crop, parts of which were severely hit by the heatwave, despite efforts to keep it sufficiently irrigated during the 2018 heatwave at James Foskett Farms at Bromeswell Picture: SARAH CHAMBERS (Image: Archant)

'In general, our yields are going to be down across the board about 20-25%,' said Mr Foskett, adding that crops had been watered at well above budgeted levels to keep them alive in the farm's light sandy soils.

Richard Mann, and son, Peter, showed how on their mixed farm at Iken, which also grows and keeps an organic pedigree Lincoln Red cattle herd, the heatwave was also taking its toll on the livestock operation, particularly in relation to production of organic fodder, severely hit by the parched conditions.

Hertfordshire-based Mr Roberts, who was in east Suffolk with NFU national water resources expert Paul Hammett, met a small group of farmers, officials from the Environment Agency and Essex and Suffolk Water and members of the East Suffolk Water Abstractors Group (ESWAG), and said conditions were 'extremely challenging. 'This is a major wake up call for everyone,' he said. 'We have been dealing with a totally unprecedented spell of weather but the question is whether such heatwaves will become more common in the future.

'I think that's quite possible and we're looking to government to help and support us in becoming more resilient to extreme weather events.'

A depleted farm reservoir in east Suffolk. Picture: SARAH CHAMBERS (Image: Archant)