The impacts of wet weather on Welsh agriculture

10 April 2024

Wales has been subjected to a prolonged period of very unsettled weather with storm Kathleen – the 11th named storm of the year - bringing wind and rain impacts over the weekend Saturday 6 April 2024.

In February, Wales received 187.5% of the rainfall compared to the long-term average (1981-2010). Some parts of Wales including Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Glamorgan received more than twice the monthly rainfall compared to the long-term average. Wales has also experienced the second wettest 8-month period (July to February) in over 100 years.

Moving forward, the Met Office UK 3-month outlook (April to June) suggests there is a moderately increased likelihood, compared to normal, of a wet period and given the current state of the ground following a particularly wet period for much of the UK, impacts from rainfall are still possible.

This is a challenging time for farmers who are having to deal with the impacts of prolonged wet weather. This NFU Cymru briefing page provides a summary of impacts and concerns.

Summary of impacts of continued wet weather on farming

As a result of the prolonged wet weather observed across Wales in recent months, many farmers are experiencing a range of effects including:

Livestock systems

Lambing – weather and ground conditions for lambing are extremely challenging and compounded by the impact of continuous wet weather on ewe condition. Lambing losses are, therefore, higher than normal and feeding ewes and creep feeding of lambs is proving problematic, due to ground conditions, and costly.
We are aware of examples of away wintered sheep having to be brought home earlier than usual because their tack ground was flooded / ground conditions are no longer appropriate. This is adding to pressure on the home farm.
Calving – similar issues are reported for calving as for lambing in terms of challenging ground conditions and impact of wet weather.
Animal health issues – the extreme conditions are resulting in a wide range of challenging animal health conditions, for example, we are receiving reports of conditions like orf, joint ill, twin lamb disease and pneumonia. Farmers, working in consultation with their private vet, will be working hard to identify and treat these emerging conditions to maintain the health and welfare of their flocks and herds. This treatment, as advised by a vet, will likely involve the use of antibiotics and so because of the continued poor weather and especially as it coincides with lambing / calving, we may see uptick in the sales of / use of antibiotics in farm animals for 2024.
Disease pressure – many fields are waterlogged and as a result, there are areas of temporary standing water seen in fields across Wales. As the temperatures warm up and if the wet weather persists meaning these temporary areas of water don’t dry up, they become breeding grounds for midges, flies and other vectors of disease. Of particular threat this year is Bluetongue (BTV) which is spread when ruminants are bitten by infected midges.
Delayed turn-out – due to ground and weather conditions spring turn-out of livestock is being delayed which is challenging reserves of fodder and straw. Examples of some farmers spending more than 40% extra on feed this winter so far. Straw availability is limited with some hauliers providing split loads. Costs of straw are significantly increased compared to last year. Where the system forces turnout, for example, Spring calving dairy herds, farmers are experiencing significant poaching issues, forcing some mitigation in the system with 4-hour paddocks.
Slurry / manure storage – increased rainfall is challenging resilience and a sensible approach is needed from government and the regulator. Uptake for schemes that support on-farm investment in yard coverings / storage / clean-dirty water separation infrastructure likely to increase going forward and this grant support should be expedited as quickly as possible recognising these are often time-consuming projects.

Cropping systems

The issue is the prolonged and continuous spell of wet weather for eight months now meaning that soils have been at saturation point continuously. Tractor field work has been nigh on impossible. Unusually, the impacts are pan Wales.
Planting – ground and weather conditions prevented autumn planting on many Welsh farms. What has been sown will need to be resown in full or parts of fields. Spring planting is now delayed and the optimum time for sowing Spring cereals has past. The optimum time for maincrop potato planting will also soon be past. We are also rapidly approaching the maize planting period, maize continues to be an important forage crop in Wales and any adverse conditions or timing of planting may impact yields at harvest. The availability of a range of seed is an issue. Welsh Government must recognise that this may impact the delivery of a number of contracts for the Growing for the Environment contracts for Spring cereals. Overall concerns that the arable area of Wales will be significantly less in 2024 with knock on impacts for feed and straw for the coming winter.
Root crops – ground and weather conditions are preventing reseeding of bare ground following grazed out root crops impacting forage availability in the coming months.
Much higher number of flood warnings than usual but standing water on low lying ground is very common regardless of whether there has been flooding.
Fertilizer and slurry applications to both arable and grassland areas are being delayed simply because farmers cannot get on to the ground. Tons of fertilizer in store on farm and in agriculture merchants. This may impact the quantity and / or quality of first cut silage and yields of arable crops.
The real worry now is nature balancing itself out with a prolonged dry period into May and June affecting fodder for 2024/25 winter and newly sown crops.

Summary of NFU Cymru's key asks shared with Welsh Government

In the short-term, Welsh Government must show flexibility in the delivery of various scheme requirements including cross compliance for the Basic Payment Scheme and other rural investment schemes such as
the Growing for the Environment Scheme, introducing derogations where necessary.
NRW must adopt a sensible approach and demonstrate flexibility and understanding in the enforcement approach to environmental regulation including the Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations (NVZs).
In order to build longer term resilience, Welsh Government must bring forward the £20m committed to support farmer compliance with the Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations. NFU Cymru continues to call for a Wales wide review of local planning authorities and NRWs approach to applications for new infrastructure with the aim of streamlining and reducing the burden associated with undertaking work to meet regulatory requirements and for environmental betterment.
In terms of flood risk management policy, greater emphasis is needed on properly valuing and protecting agricultural land.
Weather events of recent months have again highlighted the importance the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to Welsh farm businesses. The commitment to providing the BPS at the same level for 2024 is welcomed and the need for timely delivery of the BPS in 2024 cannot be overstated. Moving forward the need for a stability measure to provide stability and address volatility caused by factors beyond the control of individual farmers as a permanent feature of future agricultural policy will be vital.

Overall, it is clear that agriculture is at the mercy of extreme and changeable weather patterns. This winter and early spring has seen a huge amount of rainfall which has caused disruption to farming businesses. Crops can’t be sown, cattle can’t be let out to grass, lambing has been very difficult, and this is adding a huge cost burden on farmers, with some having to buy in additional feed while their stock is housed.

This constant wet weather again highlights the need for Welsh Government to recognise the strategic importance of domestic food production. Direct payments have been a key safety net for Welsh farmers underpinning the financial resilience of our family farms and demonstrates why future policy should include a stability measure to ensure our farmers and growers can continue producing food for the nation and, in so doing, sustaining our rural communities, language, culture and heritage.

Policymakers must also recognise that agricultural land is an irreplaceable national asset, not just for the provision of food but for the other public goods is provides and greater emphasis is needed to protect agricultural land in flood risk management policy.

Ask us a question about this page

Once you have submitted your query someone from NFU Cymru will contact you. If needed, your query will then be passed to the appropriate NFU policy team.