The UK's wet weather will push up the price of beer and bread, experts warn

The wet weather of the past few months has put a dampener on life for millions – to put it mildly.

And now all that rain is set to hit us in the pocket as well, experts are warning.

The relentless storms and flooding have cut harvests for farmers while also limiting the amount of planting they can do to grow the next batch of crops.

As a result, the price of bread, biscuits and beer are at a 'real risk' of rising, said land analyst Tom Lancaster. The blow comes just as food costs were starting to fall after millions have been battered by months of soaring inflation.

Harvests could drop by almost a fifth, according to the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) which examined crop forecasts. It found that the production of wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape could fall by four million tonnes, equivalent to 17.5 per cent, compared to last year. And the decline is even worse if compared to the average since 2015 at five million tonnes or 21 per cent.

Wheat crops could be hit especially hard, with the ECIU estimating a fall of more than a quarter compared to 2023.

This is because wheat which is milled to make bread needs to be a higher quality, but this is harder to achieve in wet weather. Beer‑lovers could also lose out as rain levels are continuing to hamper the planting of barley and other spring crops, pushing up costs for brewers, who could raise the price of a pint.

Colin Chappell, an arable farmer in Lincolnshire, told of the weather's 'massive impact'.

He said: 'We went through the winter with virtually nothing viable drilled. While it's now dry enough to plant some fields, some of them are so bad I don't think they'll get drilled this year. The situation is very hit and miss.' Last week major breadmaker Associated British Foods warned of higher prices if rising UK grain costs could not be offset by larger harvests abroad. Meanwhile the National Farmers' Union has said that extreme weather is a big threat to UK food security.

Forecasters have welcome news that the unusually cold April will finally lead in a warm blast in May. Although showers will continue in a chilly start to this week, there is an upturn set for Wednesday as temperatures could rise to 14C (57F) in some areas and even up to 20C (68F) in the South.