© Christopher Furlong/GettyAppalling weather has coincided with disease in livestock to hit farmers hard.
Prince's Countryside Fund says agriculture is confronting a worse crisis than the foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001
British agriculture is facing a worse crisis than the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak of 2001, with around 90% of farmers affected, according to the
Prince's Countryside Fund. The charity, established by the Prince of Wales in 2010, is co-ordinating welfare efforts for families in dire need.
"This crisis is unique because it's so broad," said Tor Harris, the fund's director. "There have been others in the past but they have affected particular groups, such as livestock farmers. This affects upland and lowland farmers and even arable farmers, which is something we haven't seen in a very long time. Nearly every farmer is going to be touched by this over the next year or 18 months."
Farming faces a perfect storm. Appalling
weather - 2012 was the second wettest year on record in England - has coincided with disease in livestock, including bovine TB and Schmallenberg in sheep, which causes birth defects. On top of this there are commercial pressures, with retailers driving prices down because of the state of the economy, combined with the cost of animal feed needed to replace poor quality silage due to the weather, shooting up by 40%.
Comment: Not isolated to the UK, the 'perfect storm' of surging food prices is global.