Extreme weather hitting Christmas food prices
The worst drought on record along with rising input costs has hit farmers, and led to higher food prices going into Christmas.
Food inflation has run higher than the consumer price index (CPI) for much of the year, with the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warning that this is likely making it hard to break.
Yorkshire only just came out of drought earlier in the week, which has led to lower crop yields across the region.
This is likely to have a direct impact on many of the foods that contribute to Christmas dinner.
As such, the British Growers Association has warned that many root crops, including carrots and onions, are under stress, with water supplies under strain.
The drought has also caused brussel sprout, cabbage and broccoli yields to drop by 50 per cent, according to Peloton Produce.
Campaigners Save Soil have warned that degraded, low-organic-matter soils are contributing to the droughts and quietly pushing up the cost of the UK’s festive staples, including barley-fed turkey and pork.
Meat and dairy prices are rising at the fastest rate, according to the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, in part down to climate related impacts.
Praveena Sridhar, chief policy officer at Save Soil, said: “Food inflation is not just an economic story; it’s a soil story.
“Droughts are becoming more frequent, and degraded soils cannot hold the water our crops need.
“If we want stable food prices and affordable Christmas dinners, we must restore soil health at scale.”
She explained that intensive farming, along with an over-reliance on pesticides and fertilisers, has left British soils unable to cope with increasingly erratic weather conditions, including droughts and floods.
Save Soil estimates that around 40 per cent of UK soil is already degraded, meaning the country is “sleepwalking toward an era of permanent food-price volatility”.
Ms Sridhar added: “We can no longer ignore the impact that degraded soils are having on the UK consumer. As soils degrade, our ability to feed ourselves is undermined.
“That is brought into sharp focus, especially around the festive period. To protect consumers, we must first focus on regenerating our soils.”
John Walgate, chief executive of the BGA, added: “Input costs have increased, such as labour and power, and growers have no choice but to try to pass this on.
“Vining peas and brassicas fared especially badly. The big issue is future water management. With climate change, we need to store more winter rainfall to use in summer.”