Shropshire farmer 'would not be surprised' if dry weather forces farms to close
It has been the warmest summer on record and the driest spring in 100 years
A farmer in Shropshire has told us the impact this summer's dry weather has had on his yield, after the Met Office confirmed we have faced the warmest summer on record.
Stephen Povall from Corfton Farm in South Shropshire said he would not be surprised if the impact forced some farms to close.
The warmest summer on record...
The Met Office has revealed that 2025 saw the warmest summer on record, with temperatures averaging 16.1o degrees Celsius between June 1st and August 31st.
This surpasses the previous record of 15.76°C, set in 2018, and pushes the summer of 1976 out of the top five warmest summers.
It follows the driest spring experienced in the UK in 100 years, and the driest January–July period since 1929.
'There will be knock-on effects'
Farmer Stephen Povall told us the weather would certainly impact his profits:
"Our potatoes, some of them will not meet the contract we have signed with the manufacturers. That will take a few years to get over.
"When you make a loss, it takes a while to get over. There will be knock-on effects. We may not invest in new machinery, for example," he said.
'The straw that breaks the camel's back...'
Farmer Stephen told us he would not be surprised if the weather forced some farms to close for good:
"There are a lot of disgruntled farmers about at the moment, especially with their concerns with the inheritance tax.
"A lot of farmers are wondering why they are carrying on. This might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back," he said.