Farmers fear worst harvest in years

Farmers in the Black Country and Staffordshire look set to lose thousands of pounds in the worst harvest for at least 40 years." class="imageframe imgalignright" height="92" src="http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/combine-harvester.thumbnail.jpg" width="175"/>Farmers in the Black Country and Staffordshire look set to lose thousands of pounds in the worst harvest for at least 40 years.

More than a quarter of Britain's grain still lies in waterlogged ground and farmers fear they will have to sell their wheat as cheap animal feed because it will not be fit for human consumption.

Potatoes could also rot in the ground if there is not enough dry weather to harvest them.

And food prices could subsequently soar on bread, cakes, biscuits and flour because of the bad harvest.

John Johnston, who has run Wrottesley Lodge Farm in Albrighton alongside brother Jim for more than 40 years, said he could lose £70,000 if he cannot get his wheat harvested in the next three days.

He said: "We need dry weather to get the combine harvester out to it.

"Ironically we actually have a lot more crops than usual thanks to all the rain, but August has been so wet that we cannot bring them all in.

"If we can't do it soon animal farmers will have plenty of feed to go around but there won't be much for food."

The 59-year-old said the quality of crops was "deteriorating by the day".

The Government today planned to lift European Union rules banning farmers from using combine harvesters on wet land to protect soil quality.

Those who flout the ban can be prosecuted. The exemption is expected to last for about three weeks.

Richard Simkin, who runs Essington Fruit Farm, said: "Last year when we had all the flooding in July I said we had had the worst summer possible.

"I was wrong. This time it was August that was the problem with the non-stop rain."

Staffordshire National Farmers Union chairman Michael Madders said: "The problem is that, if wheat is left out in the fields, there is a reduction in its quality and value, and, if the weather carries on like this, the crops will actually start to rot."

By Daniel Wainwright