Aid call as rain ruins harvest

Farmers are counting the cost of the summer washout after one of the worst wheat harvests for 40 years.

Heavy rain has delayed the harvest across the country, while in many cases the wheat is now too moist to be used to make bread and will have to be used for animal feed - slashing farmers' incomes.

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The situation for some farmers across the country is so bad they are calling for cash help from the Government.

Stuart Burgess, the Government's Rural Advocate, is to ask Prime Minister Gordon Brown to bring forward the payment of subsidies due in December.

Bruce Udale, of Eyton House Farm, Eyton, Telford, has been a farmer for 47 years. He said this August had been one of the worst for rain, delaying the harvesting of his crops by two weeks.

"We've not lost any cereal crops, but the rain has delayed everything," he said.

"There are going to be serious implications for individual farmers, but I don't think the Government can do much about it. Farmers have to put up with it."

Mr Udale said farmers had faced greater costs with having to dry crops. He said they were also receiving less money for wheat, with the price last year at £185 a tonne having dropped to between £100 or £110 per tonne this time round.

Oliver Cartwright, National Farmers' Union spokesman for Shropshire, said farmers are suffering because of record rainfalls and flooded fields.

He said: "For wheat in particular, the harvest has been both difficult and expensive in terms of gathering and drying wet, sodden crops. Farmers are also facing higher drying costs and with crops being recorded at a 22 per cent or above moisture content, the drying will cost nearly a fifth of the crops' value."

John Warner, Shropshire Star weatherman, said drier weather this week would give farmers a chance to finally harvest their soggy crops.

"It will by dry with sunny intervals and above average temperatures for Shropshire for the rest of the week," he said.

By Lizzie Yates