UK Farmers Face 'Biggest Test' as Drought Grips Three-Quarters of England

Farmers in England are facing one of their most difficult growing seasons yet, as nearly three-quarters of the country's land area falls into drought after months of record-low rainfall and unusually high temperatures. Al Jazeera quoted officials as saying that this July was the driest month in England and Wales since records began in 1836.

At Manor Farm in Caxton, near Cambridge, farmer Tom Pearson pointed to the cracks in his family's fields, which have been farmed since the 1680s. "It makes you wonder if it's all worth it," he said. However, Pearson noted the situation could be even worse if he hadn't spent the past 11 years building soil resilience through sustainable farming methods.

Jamie Burrows, chair of the Crops Board at the National Farmers' Union (NFU), said that harvesting more than half of the winter wheat area before the end of July reflects a challenging season. He called on the government to invest in drought-resistant, disease-resistant crop varieties and to streamline planning rules for building on-farm water storage.

This is not an isolated year. The UK is experiencing its third drought in five years and the second consecutive year. Helen Wakeham, chair of the National Drought Group, called it an "exceptional situation" with "long-lasting impacts."

For Pearson, who worked as a doctor in the National Health Service before returning to the family farm in 2015, he has shifted to regenerative farming methods, including no-till and sharply reduced chemical inputs. This year, he is experimenting with ancient wheat varieties sourced from gene banks in the US, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the John Innes Centre in Norwich.

"They have deep root systems, accustomed to dry conditions. Maybe this is the perfect year for them," Pearson said of the einkorn and emmer varieties—among the earliest wheats domesticated by humans around 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent.

However, yields on Pearson's farm have fallen for a third consecutive year. "We know we are doing the right thing, we are measuring and progressing on carbon and soil biology grounds, but we are still hit quite hard by extreme weather events," he admitted.

Farmers entered this season facing high risks as fuel and fertilizer prices surged from spring onward, following US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February that closed the Strait of Hormuz and disrupted global energy and fertilizer markets. Drought then arrived shortly after sowing.

According to a study published by the European Investment Bank and the European Commission in May 2025, damage from extreme weather has averaged €28 billion ($32 billion) per year across the EU, expected to rise to €40 billion ($46 billion) by 2050. Around 80% of this risk is currently uninsured, with farmers bearing the cost directly. Meanwhile, the UK—outside the EU—has no comprehensive national crop insurance program.

Rowan Douglas, an insurance risk expert and former head of Howden's Climate Risk and Resilience team, argued that a useful first step is to properly quantify the financial risk the country faces. He said the harder question is how to fairly share the growing risk burden between farmers and those who benefit from agricultural produce.

For his part, Pearson is moving toward a peri-urban farming model so that some produce can go directly to local people's tables. "It's a small step, but it's toward something bigger—helping people understand what they eat, where food comes from, and how a changing climate is shaping both," he said.