Milk supply being impacted as Yorkshire braces for another heatwave

Milk, fruit, vegetable and grain supply are all likely to be significantly impacted by the ongoing drought, experts warned yesterday, as the country prepares to go into its fifth heatwave of an already record-breaking summer.

The Met Office yesterday extended a severe heat warning to South Yorkshire from 9am tomorrow morning until midnight, as it said the UK was on course for its hottest ever summer, with only average conditions needed for the rest of August to be the record, which was only set last year.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (ADHB) said milk production has already been impacted by the extreme hot weather, with production yields impacted by heat-stressed cows and poor conditions for grass grazing.

Meanwhile the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said “fruit, vegetable and grain supply” are being hit by recent heatwaves, with these crop shortages then set to feed into supermarket prices.

Economists from the trade group suggested that this will put upward pressure on food inflation going into 2027.

It is understood that the supply of a number of UK-grown fruit and vegetables has already come under pressure, such as broccoli and cherries.

Meanwhile, poor grain harvests are driving the cost of animal feed higher, with predictions that this could lead to more expensive meat as farmers are forced to reduce herd sizes.

Dr Liliana Danila, chief economist at the FDF, said the weather conditions have caused concern across most of Europe.

She said: “Competition for fewer resources will in turn push up the price of ingredients for manufacturers.

“The UK’s food and drink manufacturers work hard to absorb costs where they can, but are already grappling with rising costs as a result of war in Ukraine and in Iran, so we expect the additional upward pressure of reduced crops will be reflected in retail prices into next year.”

FDF Scotland’s David Thomson also told the BBC that price rises are “inevitable” because of “significant concerns” over the availability of many fruit and vegetable products.

Nearly three quarters of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, after a record dry July and very dry start to August has combined with high temperatures to put pressure on water resources for households, agriculture and the environment.

Provisional statistics from the Met Office show that the mean temperature for the summer so far, from June 1, stands at 16.48C – which is 1.88C above the 1991 to 2020 average.

To equal the 16.12C in 2025, the UK’s warmest summer on record, the rest of August would only need to be 0.21C below the long-term average, and any warmer than this would establish a new record for the country, the Met Office said.

And for England and Wales, which have seen temperatures more than 2C above average so far this summer, it is even more likely that June to August 2026 will be record-breaking.

In a summer that has been marked by extreme weather, temperatures are to spike again this week.

The Met Office has issued a rare amber warning for extreme heat for South Yorkshire, London and parts of the South East, East Midlands, East of England, and the West Midlands, with temperatures set to climb to 37C or 38C in some places.

Met Office chief forecaster Chris Bulmer said: “While the peak heat will be more short-lived than recent heatwaves, temperatures widely into the mid-30s Celsius on Thursday brings the potential for impacts for some, which is why a Met Office warning has been issued.

“High pressure is now becoming dominant and temperatures will build day by day. Southerly and south-easterly winds will also tap into the hot conditions over Europe which helps develop this further notable heat in what has been a hot and dry summer so far for many in the south of the UK.”