Floods delay autumn cultivations

8 October 2001



Floods delay autumn cultivations

By Adrienne Francis

HEAVY RAIN over the weekend has caused some flooding in some areas and delayed autumn cultivations in southern England and East Anglia.

Shaun Leavey, National Farmers Union south-east spokesman, said: “There has been some waterlogging and water is lying in fields.

“The problem is the heavy clay land, which is immensely difficult to work in a wet autumn.”

The situation was bad because south-east England, from Hampshire to Kent, had suffered a desperately wet spring and summer, Mr Leavey added.

“A lot of people are feeling depressed after the last few days of wet weather and fear a repeat of last year.”

NFU East Anglia spokeswoman Pamela Forbes said: “Up to eight inches of rain has been recorded in a week in north-east Norfolk.

“This has played havoc in getting crops in and drilled for next year.”

But recent heavy rain has also contributed to a bumper wild fruit crop across the land, reports The Independent.

A “great glut” of fruit, including blackberries, raspberries, elderberries, sloes, hips and haws, could yield a record harvest.

In a normal year, these fruits grow in the autumn.

Conditions last year and this season are consistent with predictions of climate change and global warming, the paper comments.

• Farmers count cost of floods, FWi, 13 October 2000
• MPs blame ministry for floods, FWi, 21 December 2000
• Mixed fortunes from climate change, FWi, 7 June, 2000