PM Burnham unveils £65m drought support package for farmers
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a £65 million package to help English farmers cope with drought, including grants for reservoirs and relaxed grazing rules.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a £65 million support package for farmers in England struggling with the effects of the ongoing drought. The package includes £50 million for environmental grants, £15 million for on-farm water storage, and changes to planning guidance to make it easier to build reservoirs. Farmers will also be allowed to graze livestock on land they have been paid to rewild, under relaxed environmental rules.
The announcement came during a visit to a farm in Cornwall, where the Prime Minister helped sort potatoes. He described the summer as "probably the hardest for British farming in a generation" and said farmers were at the sharp end of climate change. The visit was part of a wider tour aimed at rebuilding trust with the farming community after the controversy over inheritance tax on farms.
The package has been broadly welcomed, but the National Farmers Union warned it can only be the start. Trade bodies said it was a temporary fix, given the scale of the crisis. The drought has already led to the earliest harvest in at least 20 years, with yields of staple crops like wheat and beans down by up to 70% in some areas. Dairy farmers have been forced to use winter feed because grass has stopped growing, and milk production has fallen.
The impact is not uniform. In the West Country, vineyards are thriving in the warm, dry conditions, while cauliflower and potato crops have failed. Some farmers are adapting by growing Mediterranean crops such as melons and pumpkins. But many are struggling with rising costs and falling incomes, and there are warnings that food prices could rise and shortages could occur.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that the government needs to rebuild trust with farmers, following the inheritance tax row. The new measures are designed to help farmers become more resilient, but critics question whether they will be enough.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One | Channel 4 | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July was the driest in nearly 200 years. | · | · | ||
| 90% of farms are below the five-year average for winter wheat yield. | · | · | · | |
| A cauliflower field of 6,500 plants failed completely, costing the farmer £125 each. | · | · | · | |
| A farmer's worst bean field yielded less than double the seed planted. | · | · | · | |
| Dairy cows are producing about 15% less milk due to lack of grass. | · | · | · | |
| England received only 3% of its long-term average July rainfall, with the south and east receiving none. | · | · | · | |
| Food industry giants and charities called on the Prime Minister to make food security a national priority. | · | · | · | |
| Government reallocates millions from existing budgets to increase funding for sustainable farming grants. | · | · | · | |
| Government relaxes rules to allow farmers to graze livestock on fields paid for rewilding. | · | · | · | |
| The Conservative party criticised the government's slow response to the drought. | · | · | · | |
| The EU emergency response agency warned that all of Europe could be on fire by early August. | · | · | · | |
| The Prime Minister announced a £65 million support package for farmers in England, including funding for farm reservoirs and flexibility on grazing rules. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the broader drought crisis and its impact on food security, highlighting a joint letter from food industry giants and charities urging the government to prioritise food security. The coverage also linked the UK situation to severe wildfires across Europe, giving the story an international context.
- “because of the very low rainfall and, of course, these incredibly hot temperatures.”
- “the next food shock is not a question of if, but when.”
- “To meet it, prepared food has to stop being an afterthought for the government.”
Channel 4 delivered a detailed on-the-ground report focusing on the severe impact of drought on farmers' livelihoods, with vivid examples from arable and dairy farms. The coverage included an expert interview on the wider food security and public health implications, emphasising climate change as a driver.
- “An unmitigated disaster is how the farmer in this part of the Cotswolds described it.”
- “Yield on beans has been up to 70% down.”
- “It's having an untold impact on our farming community. It's not just denting the food production, it's mentally destroying farmers wherever they are.”
BBC ONE West gave a regional angle, contrasting the losers of the heatwave (cauliflowers, potatoes) with winners (vineyards). It also reported on the government's support measures but highlighted trade bodies' warnings that the package is only a temporary fix.
- “It's the first year I've had an overdraft in 30 years.”
- “I just don't know what to grow.”
- “More sun means more sugar in the fruit.”
ITV1 focused on the political and practical aspects of the announcement, detailing the PM's visit to Cornwall, the specific components of the £65m package, and the NFU's cautious welcome. It also brought in the context of the inheritance tax row and the need to rebuild trust with farmers.
- “I think it's probably been the hardest summer for British farming in a generation.”
- “It's a really welcome start but it can only be the start because of the crisis that is facing farmers right the way across the United Kingdom with the drought that is ongoing at the moment, the worst drought in 50 years.”
- “Any assistance that comes you know is very welcome giving us money to make ourselves more sustainable to improve our resilience it's got to be a good thing even though it may not go far enough in the long term.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.