Harvesting is too dangerous during hot spell - farmer

A farmer says the process of harvesting his wheat crop is "very dangerous at the moment" because of the risk of starting a fire in the dry conditions.

John Sheppard is a third generation farmer and looks after 700 acres of wheat at Heath Farm, Abbots Ripton near Huntington, with his father.

He said there is a heightened risk of fire because the combined harvester, the machine used to cut the crops, might simply hit flint or stone and cause a spark on a tinderbox field.

Sheppard added: "The straw is not quite ready but it is very hot and dangerous at the moment, so we're trying to wait for it to cool down a bit. It's every farmer's worst nightmare."

In May, the National Farmers' Union produced a report on the impact of climate change, which said farmers needed more help to adapt their businesses.

"We may have to go out [in the] early morning and evenings - it's a bit of a nightmare at the moment," Sheppard said.

He said cutting crops in the heat was "a recipe for disaster", adding: "There's not much we can do about it but pray for some cooler temperatures next week.

"These prolonged heatwaves are not much good for growing crops."

Thursday was the eighth day this year that temperatures passed 34C (93F) somewhere in the UK - which is a new record, beating the seven days in 1976 and 2020.

However, Sheppard said he hoped things would look better next week as the weather was predicted to peak between 25C and 29C, according to the Met Office.

"The forecast is set well for next week, so it's a case of going in the early morning and late evenings," he said.

He revealed he had tried to cut crops at 04:00 but there was no moisture in the air for it to work.

"A nice soaking rain would be lovely at the moment," he added.

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