Britons have been instructed to “eat more spuds while you can” as farmers have warned the UK’s potato crop is under threat.
The nation’s favourite carbohydrate is known to stop growing entirely once temperatures climb above 30C, leaving behind stunted crops.
And, over the past several months, temperatures have often soared above the threshold.
Yesterday, regions across south east England saw temperatures rise to highs of 35C while areas up north enjoyed a respite from the heat.
“We’ve been chucking water on them, but in this heat they’re not growing. It’s like watering a corpse,” Jim Wayman told The Telegraph.
Mr Wayman works for 3Ms, an East Anglian potato-growing conglomerate, a mammoth supplier which is partially responsible for the potato population in major supermarkets, including Aldi and M&S, across the nation.
He added: “We’re being accused of scaremongering, and the big retailers are saying their customers expect a certain standard of size but we’re saying we can’t do it.”
Meanwhile, potato market analyst Cedric Porter delivered a vital message to Britons: “Eat your spuds while you can.”
Farmers have been fighting to keep their crops healthy while the UK continues to witness record-breaking heatwaves this summer.
Last month was the driest England and Wales have ever been since records began almost two centuries ago, the Met Office confirmed.
England had a mere 6.5mm of rainfall while Wales recorded a measly 9.3mm in July, which is less than half of the previous records set.
Some places in England recorded less than 1mm of rainfall during the whole month.
LATEST ON BRITAIN’S BLISTERING HEATWAVES:
- Thunderstorms and downpours to end heatwave for millions of Britons as yellow warning issued
- Amber heat alerts issued as parts of Britain to reach highs of 35C
- Drought extended across whole of Wales as Britain grapples with ‘exceptionally high’ temperatures
But it is not just potatoes where agricultural workers have grown increasingly concerned.
The entire harvest this autumn could be under threat, impacting other root vegetables such as carrots.
Over the past several months, the farming industry has cried out for assistance to make their jobs more resilient in the face of the rising threat of climate change.
Part of the help would be support to build on-farm reservoirs and flexible abstraction licences to allow farmers to take and store water when it rains.
The Chief Executive of the National Farmers Union, Tom Bradshaw, warned that wheat and oat yield could be “very, very poor this year”.
He said: “Harvest yields are looking poor, farmers are struggling to access water to irrigate fruit and vegetables and livestock farmers are having to use grass they cut this spring for their stores of winter feed for cattle, as there’s very little grass growing now.
“If this summer teaches us anything, it is that we must prioritise food production.
“This means urgent action to bolster our water security and ensuring our food security is treated as a vital part of our nation’s critical infrastructure.”
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