The study of 300 farmers found that 86% have been hit by heavy rainfall over the last five years, while 78% have been impacted by droughts, and more than 50% by heatwaves.
Indeed, only 2% have not experienced extreme weather in some form, with 87% having seen reduced productivity, while 84% have witnessed a reduction in crop yields or livestock output, and 75% have seen their incomes reduced.
The research comes as a growing number of attribution studies draw a clear causal link between the increasingly extreme weather affecting farmers and climate change.
It also comes after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recently revealed that farmers lost over £1bn as a result of the extremely wet winter in 2023/24 that reduced the main wheat crop output by 20%.
"From lost crops and livestock to soil erosion, farmers are battling these impacts across more fronts than most with repeated heatwaves, droughts and periods of extreme rainfall all taking a toll on farmer confidence," said Tom Lancaster, ECIU land, food and farming analyst.
“Beyond farmers, the scale of these climate impacts also calls into question the UK’s food security in the face of climate-change driven extreme weather."
In response to these impacts, the research found that more than two-thirds of farmers have changed how they farm, including what they farm, or by joining an environmental scheme and investing in diversification.
Over 30% are also “highly concerned” about their ability to make a living from the farm in the future due to climate change, with 50% somewhat concerned.
When asked about the ability of the next generation to make a living, the proportion of highly concerned rises to 40%, fuelling wider worries about the future of farming following last year’s budget.
Lancaster added: “We need to be taking these risks more seriously, with more support for farming to adapt and build resilience, as well as more urgent action to help farmers reduce their own emissions.”
Image credit: Shutterstock
Chris Seekings is the Deputy Editor of ISEP’s Transform magazine, which is published biomonthly for ISEP members. Chris’s role involves writing sustainability-related news, features and interviews, as well as helping to plan and manage the magazine’s other day-to-day activities.
