Fears of food inflation rise as UK harvests hit by cool, wet summer

Oilseed rape crops have been affected by storms and yields are down after a shorter flowering period than usual. Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock

UK farmers have warned that harvests of wheat, oilseed rape, potatoes and other crops have been hit by the cool, wet summer, raising fears of further food price inflation.

The wettest July on record for parts of the UK risks colliding with rising prices of essential ingredients on global markets due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and unpredictable weather affecting harvests from southern Europe to China.