10 Aug 2026
Nature-friendly farming can increase resilience but farmers need certainty over the financial support available before they can invest in it.
Farmers need to know they won’t be undercut by sub-standard food imported from overseas. Or bullied into accepting low prices by wealthy profit-hungry supermarkets.
They must also be able to diversify their income through renewable energy developments so they have greater economic resilience against crop failures caused by extreme weather.
The challenges facing farmers affect us all. Higher energy prices means that food prices go up. The increase in extreme weather events around the world is impacting on yields resulting in shortages of some foods and more price hikes.
Low income households will be hit hardest and could be forced to cut down on fresh fruit and vegetables or rely more on food banks.
If UK farmers are struggling healthy, affordable, locally sourced food will be harder to come by.
How much money are farmers losing?
With farmers in the UK losing £800m in lost production in 2025 and three of the five worst harvests on record since 2020, farmers are struggling. Particularly smaller and family farms.
What can local authorities do to help farmers?
Councils can help farmers by :
- Buying local produce for use in schools and care homes.
- Helping farmers access funds for restoring nature through Local Nature Recovery Strategies and Biodiversity Net Gain.
- Giving permissions for barn conversions, farm shops and renewable energy developments.
- Taking action on fly tipping, which is costing farmers thousands of pounds every year.
What does the government need to do to help farmers?
Funds for nature-friendly farming needs to double to at least £6 billion a year, including with long-term funding certainty. Without this it will not be possible to meet the legal target of halting the decline of wildlife by 2030.
Who should pay for the damage climate change is causing?
The climate extremes that farmers are battling with are a result of decades of burning fossil fuels. The oil and gas companies have made massive profits from selling these. It’s time to make the polluters pay.
Supermarkets must also pay a fair price for sustainable UK produce instead of squeezing farmers while posting multi-billion pound profits. Farmers need help and can’t do this alone.
Watch out for climate disinformation
Some people claim that the extreme weather farmers are facing is natural and that council action on climate change is harmful or a waste of time.
The world’s scientific community is clear, climate change is happening and it is almost entirely as a result of human activity. Record temperatures, wildfires and extreme rainfall isn’t normal. Councils need to act on it.
Read: examples of disinformation and evidence to counter it.
Your community's voice matters
- Tell politicians you care about climate change. Ask your councillor to show their commitment to climate justice
- Tell them your community wants action to protect households, farmers and businesses from climate extremes. Use evidence from your listening activities if you have this.
- Ask them to sign-up to your Charter of Hope if your groups has one.
- Look at the post election guide for ideas on how to engage with your councillors.