Farmers say another dry summer could be devastating
A hot summer would add tension to already uncertain yields across Kent's agricultural industry
Farmers have warned that another few months of hot sunny weather without much rainfall could be a big issue for their industry. Particularly in the wake of fertiliser, fuel and oil issues caused by the US' war with Iran.
Hugh Richards, a farmer based near Ashford and NFU Regional Livestock Board Vice Chair, said another hot summer could be devastating: "We saw silage prices higher this year than we've ever seen before. And there wasn't the grass last year because of the dry summer.
"If we get a similar weather pattern, and people haven't put fertilizer on on top of that, then you're going to have huge shortages to feed livestock.
"Once people stop keeping livestock, stop growing the crops, they will begin to say, 'Well, what's the point in going on losing money?' It can't go on forever.
"You can't go on losing money. And so there therefore people will stop producing.
".....I just think it's going to be catastrophic in the years to come if we're not very very careful. And there could be empty shelves. Could easily be empty shelves."
He added that keeping a supply of hay had become essential in case of bad weather: "I was lucky enough to have some hay in the barn that was left over from two or three years ago, and I've sold a portion of that. It's the first time in five years that I've made any money selling hay.
"But I've still got a portion of that stacked in the barn. Because I'm not confident enough that I'm going to grow enough hay grass to produce hay and silage to feed all my livestock next summer or next winter rather without having a good supply put by. And if we have two dry summers following each other, it will be very very difficult."
"The past three weeks the rain has stopped, the wind has come, the sun's come out. The wind is drying out the ground as much as anything.
"The ground hasn't got enough cover on it at the moment with crops to protect the soil from the sun. The sun's now come out. The wind's still blowing and it's drying out that top 2 inches of ground.
"If we don't get a shower of rain again before long and we go into end of April, May, without having a decent shower, decent amount of rain, we will be into drought very very soon."
The Met Office long-range weather forecast currently predicts the 'driest and brightest' conditions in the southeast across the next week, followed by potential for showers going into May.