THE CONTINUED period of bad weather sweeping the country and ruining many farmers‘ hopes of a good harvest has drawn the attention of The Guardian newspaper.

The paper highlights the serious position faced by Northumberland farmer Glen Sanderson who, like many others, has seen the rain ruin his harvest.

Mr Sanderson is to destroy the remaining 10ha (25 acres) of his oilseed rape crop, which at a loss of £12,000, will effectively wipe out this year‘s profit.

“In 33 years of farming I‘ve never known anything like this,” Mr Sanderson told the paper.

On his 161ha (400 acres) arable farm there remains 68ha (170 acres) of wheat to be harvested and this will need to be destroyed unless the weather improves, says the paper.

Over the past three weeks, Mr Sanderson has managed just four half days of combining and he admits this situation could result in financial ruin for his family.

Currently, Britain is the third largest wheat producer in Europe and the country is largely self-sufficient.

But Paul Ibbott, NFU arable advisor told the paper, the arable industry was now resting on a knife-edge.

“If you‘re farming in Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire, it is really critical,” he said.

“For hundreds of farmers the oilseed rape crop is useless and there are now serious concerns about wheat.

“This time last year it was all in and, to make matters worse, we have some very poor forecasts for the rest of the month,” he added.