British potato farmers have been hit by rising costs and bad weather affecting harvests. Robert Strathern, of Fairfields Farm at Wormingford, near Colchester, told BBC’s Countryfile a wet spring had delayed the harvest, making it a “race against the clock and the weather”, as Rachael McMenemy reports for BBC News, Suffolk.
Rising energy costs have also made life more difficult for growers. “You can soon find yourself in a loss-making scenario. Potatoes have become a very high-risk crop,” said Mr Strathern.
About 1,000 acres of land are used to grow potatoes at the farm, producing about 25,000 tonnes a year.
Wet weather earlier in the year delayed planting, which in turn had delayed harvesting, Mr Strathern said. “We’ve been able to lift most of the time but we had a very wet spring,” he said.
“March, April and May were quite wet months so that delayed planting for this year and that delayed harvest date as well.
“Now you’re on a race against the clock and the weather to get the crop in before it turns.”
Source: BBC News, Suffolk. Read the full story here
Image: Robert Strathern says rising costs have made potato growing a riskier business. Credit BBC
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