Plant more crops to tackle climate change, farmers tell Tesco

Last year's hot, dry summer and this year's wet, cool summer damaged the crop. Photo: Matthew Horwood/Getty

Farmers supplying Tesco have agreed to plant more crops this year amid fears climate change will ruin much of their harvest.

The UK's biggest supermarket has struck new deals with two major suppliers of onions and carrots in response to growing concerns about the impact of Britain's changing weather.

As part of the agreements, Tesco has lowered forecasts for how much farmers will grow per hectare of land and is preparing to ask suppliers to plant more fields to achieve the same yield. .

The new agreement was driven by expectations that climate change will make sudden changes in weather more common, which could damage crops. As a result, British farmers will find it difficult to produce as much on their own land.

Supermarkets have already faced supply problems this year after extreme heat and cold spells. Farmers have struggled to supply strawberries this spring due to the cold snap in Britain, and more recently grocers have faced a shortage of artichokes.

Food rations

A hot, dry summer last year and a wetter, cooler summer this year year caused damage to the harvest.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said this year that climate change is «one of the biggest threats to food production» in the UK.

These problems are not unique to the UK. Supermarkets were forced to ration tomatoes and peppers earlier this year due to bad weather in Morocco and Spain.

Tesco is understood to have included clauses in new contracts that mean it will need extra vegetables if farmers harvest record harvest to ensure nothing is wasted.

Supporting Farmers

Tom McIntosh, director of fresh produce and horticulture at Tesco, said: “Supporting UK farmers, producers and suppliers is vital to protecting the future of the UK food industry.”

“We are providing immediate support following recent inflation challenges. , and supporting suppliers, farmers and producers to tackle longer-term issues such as climate change and nature loss.”

Ministers have previously said climate change could be good for the UK food industry. Last year, then Environment Secretary George Eustice told the NFU conference: “Climate change will mean water shortages will become a problem in some parts of the world. And parts of the world that have the best and most flexible agricultural land today may find it more difficult to produce crops in the future.

“This means temperate regions of the world, including here in the UK , will discover that there is a great demand for the products they grow