Non-stop rainfall in Britain could rot crops while they’re still in the ground, threatening potato and grain shortages later this year, farmers have warned. Forecasters say the wet weather that has so far defined 2026 is set to continue for another month, with 57 flood warnings and 133 flood alerts currently in place across England. As well as causing widespread travel disruption, the record levels of rainfall have posed a major challenge for the country’s farmers, who would normally begin planting spring crops – including potatoes and grains – in February.

But the persistent downpours have left them unable to plant crops in waterlogged ground or tend to those sowed in the autumn – leading several to issue warnings about their ability to provide food for the rest of the year. Martin Lines, an arable farmer in Cambridgeshire and CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, said: “If the weather remains this wet for another month, we could experience serious disruption to crop supplies later this year.”

“The mild weather means autumn crops are still growing, and now could be the ideal time to add nutrients to the soil,” he added.

“In many places, though, this is impossible, with some farmers still struggling with flooded fields.

“Equally, we should now be preparing the ground for planting spring crops within the next month, but for many farmers it is far too wet to even get into the fields. The longer fields remain saturated, the shorter the growing season and the poorer the harvest will be.”

Mr Lines added that farming as a sector would likely suffer from “extreme, volatile weather” of all kinds, including “very wet winters followed by long, dry summers”.

“This is extremely challenging for farmers, and they need to think about building their resilience through concentrating on soil health and nature-friendly farming techniques,” he said.

Gavin Lane, president of the Country, Land and Business Association (CLA) also emphasised the strain put on farmers by the unpredictable weather, on top of a raft of other difficulties including the changes to inheritance tax and high running costs.

“A flooded field can mean months of work rotting in the ground while the stress for a farmer of paying the bills remains,” he said.

He also called for increased government investment in water infrastructure including more reservoirs and field drainage.

“Farmers continue to adapt their businesses, as they always have,” he said. “But with the weather proving more erratic, we need government focus on water management with funding and planning reform.

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“Better water management also benefits society as a whole, leading to less flooding in our towns and cities and less stress on the water system in times of drought.”

Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farming Union, said southern regions including Somerset had been hit particularly hard by flooding and echoed the calls for investment in rural areas.

“Many areas of the country are experiencing devastating floods,” he said. “Somerset in particular has been badly hit where hundreds of acres of productive farmland have been flooded.

“While it’s still too early to understand the full impact on this season’s crops, many fields have been submerged for nearly two weeks and if this continues, arable farmers face a real risk of crops beginning to rot in the ground.

“This situation highlights the need for long-term investment in water infrastructure, so that farmers and growers can continue to grow food for the nation.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “We recognise how hard flooding can be for farmers and we are looking how we can best support rural communities with the Flooding Minister speaking with farmers in Somerset last week.

“Increased funding is already going to international drainage boards (IDBs), the public bodies responsible for managing water levels for agricultural and environmental needs in a particular area.

“Our farming schemes are also helping the sector build greater resilience to climate shocks with the Floods Resilience Taskforce looking at practical action against extreme weather.”