Dry weather causing uncertainty for Warwickshire farmers
This year has seen the driest start to spring in nearly 70 years
Incredibly dry weather in recent weeks is causing major uncertainty for farmers across Warwickshire.
This comes as England is facing a risk of summer drought following the driest start to spring in 69 years, with reservoirs low and farmers struggling to grow crops.
Farmers across Warwickshire fear that the dry weather could cause crops to fail and prices to rise.
The dry weather has also caused farmers to start irrigating crops early, with more pressure on their onsite storage.
We've been speaking with Mark Meadows, a farmer from Warwickshire and NFU county chairman.
Mark said: "This dry spring has been really trying and it's really effecting our spring sowing.
"Even the winter crops are struggling, we've had such a wet winter and now the dry weather on top of that is causing the roots to not grow properly.
Mark continued: "A fellow farmer told me they have been across a crop four times in April when normally they would only do this once.
"They are using their water reserves sooner and if there is no rain, meaning they can't top up their reserves, they may run into more trouble in a couple months.
"We're currently in a very critical situation."
National Farmers' Union vice president, Rachel Hallos, said the situation on the ground remained variable across farming sectors.
Yet, Rachel said: "The dry conditions and lack of any substantial rainfall has meant farmers in some parts of the country have started to irrigate crops much earlier than normal, thankfully reservoirs are currently full following the wet autumn and winter."
Urging the government to recognise water for food production, Rachel added: "The extreme weather patterns we have experienced over the past few years is impacting our ability to feed the nation.
"This should include access to water in times of shortage to be secured through planning policies that support on-farm water storage, investment in water-use efficiency on farm, and innovation in more water efficient crops and farming systems."