Drought hits Somerset apple harvest, raising cider shortage fears
Drought has led to a poor apple harvest in Somerset, raising concerns about a potential cider shortage.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The long, hot summer has taken a heavy toll on Somerset's apple orchards, with many trees failing to bear fruit and others producing apples that are small, unripe, or already rotting. The drought has raised fears of one of the smallest cider harvests on record, and a potential shortage of cider.
In one orchard, the grower said they would normally expect 20 to 30 tonnes of apples, but this year they are getting nothing. The harvester will not even be brought in, and any fruit that falls will go to the sheep. Other growers are reporting similar problems, with one supplier down from 200 tonnes to about 30, and another from 150 to about 30.
The problem is not limited to a single area. In a valley outside Bath, another orchard is unusually bare, and the grower said he had never seen it so dry in his years of making cider. Even the man who planted the orchard around 2000 has said he has never seen it this dry.
However, in an orchard near Shepton Mallet, apples are plentiful, but they are not suitable for cider. The harvester has been brought out three weeks early, but the apples are unripe and already rotting. The trees are stressed and have dumped their fruit early. There is a worry that if hot summers continue, the trees will go into further decline.
The apple crop is also smaller in size and yield. One grower, whose family has been growing apples in Somerset since 1954, said the fruit is considerably smaller than usual, and the orchard has never looked like this. The trees are 26 years old but have never looked so bare. Normally, there would be 80% more apples on the trees, and sheep would be eating fallen fruit, but there are none.
Cider-making is a deeply rooted tradition in Somerset, and the county's fertile soil and mild climate have helped apples grow for thousands of years. But successive hot summers have increased cider sales while the drought has pushed some trees too far. One fourth-generation farmer at a major cider brand said they are trying to prepare for hotter summers by planting 100 trees of each variety in trials to see how they cope with climate change. The research is for the next generation.
The situation is a stark reminder of the impact of extreme weather on traditional industries, and farmers are having to learn how to work their land again to make the most of what they can get.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| Apple growers reported severe harvest losses, with some orchards losing their entire crop and others seeing large reductions. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| A major cider brand is planting 100 tree trials to prepare for climate change. | Not reported by BBC One | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West focused on the severity of the shortage, with specific tonnage figures and the warning of one of the smallest cider harvests ever. It highlighted the contrast between orchards with no fruit and one with rotting fruit, and stressed the long-term decline of trees under repeated hot summers.
- “It could be one of the smallest cider harvests ever.”
- “We would normally like to see about 20 to 30 tonnes from this orchard, but we are going to be getting nothing.”
- “They're all rotting these apples, and they're just going to throw them away.”
ITV1 emphasised the smaller size and yield of apples, the personal family history of growers, and the forward-looking research by a major cider brand. It noted that successive hot summers have increased cider sales but the drought has pushed trees too far, and focused on adaptation and future planning.
- “These fruits here are looking considerably smaller than we would like.”
- “It's the first time, though, the orchard has looked like this.”
- “We have got 100 tree trials, so we plant 100 trees of each variety out in an orchard to see how they do as the climate changes.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.