Tesco farmers have agreed to plant more crops this year, amid fears about the impact of climate change on the harvest.
The Telegraph newspaper reported that the supermarket has lowered the forecasts for how much farmers will grow per hectare of land, and that it is preparing to ask suppliers to plant more in order to produce the same output.
The news that the supermarket has estimated more sudden weather changes which will be damaging to crops, follows the news from scientists that this summer was the hottest on record.
The summer saw heatwaves in Greece, as well as an earthquake in Morocco and flooding in Libya last month. This week, the city of New York has also seen flooding. The UK saw a heatwave in early September with a high of 33.2 C.
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Speaking to the newspaper, Tesco director of fresh produce and horticulture Tom Mackintosh said: “Supporting British farmers, growers and suppliers is vital in safeguarding the future of the food industry in the UK.”
“We’re providing immediate support in the wake of recent inflationary challenges, as well as supporting suppliers farmers and growers in tackling more long term challenges such as climate change and nature loss.”
Speaking on the ‘State of Nature’ report (which highlighted that nature is seriously declining across the UK) earlier this month the National Farmers Union President Minette Batters said:
“It’s in everyone’s interests to ensure climate-friendly British farming in the future with a domestic agriculture policy that enables our farmers and growers to embrace accessible schemes that are fit for purpose”.
“These schemes must offer fair rewards and strong incentives for participation, so farm businesses can continue to be productive and profitable while continuing to deliver the same benefits we all want to see.”
