THE UK’s staple dish of chips is under threat from unpredictable and more extreme weather driven by climate change, campaigners say.
A report from the Climate Coalition of environmental and social groups said future yields of fruit and vegetables could be hit by extremes such as longer-lasting and more intense heatwaves, downpours and flooding.
Last year’s heatwave and drought saw yields of potatoes fall 20% compared to the previous season. The summer’s extreme weather, which the Met Office said was made 30 times more likely by climate change, also hit carrots, with growers reporting yields down 25-30%, and onions, down 40%. As well as a drop in yields, farmers had problems with smaller and misshapen potatoes - leaving the average British chip more than an inch smaller, the report said.
It is not just drought causing problems as more than half of farmers in the UK say they have been affected by severe flooding or storms in the past decade, with climate change set to bring more record-breaking rainfall.
Climate Coalition director Clara Goldsmith said: “Losing an inch off our chips is no laughing matter. We should be doing all we can to help safeguard our homegrown fruit and vegetables for future generations.”
The coalition, made up of 130 organisations ranging from WWF, the Women’s Institute, RSPB and National Trust, to aid agencies such as Christian Aid and Cafod, is calling for cuts to the emissions driving up temperatures.”
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