The summer heatwave, combined with high and low temperatures has had a detrimental impact on UK farming, and as a result, prices are expected to rise by 5 per cent.
The Centre for Economics and Business Research has estimated the cost of this on consumers is £45 million, based on research from DEFRA – a monthly breakdown per household shows that this is likely to add an extra £7.15 per month to food bills.
The extreme weather is held accountable for this price rise, with this affecting the crop yield, and in turn increasing the cost of fruits and vegetables in particular.
New Food Magazine report that the price of carrots at the farm gate increased by 80 per cent between March and July 2018, and more than 60 per cent for lettuce. Wheat for making bread increased by 20 per cent, according to the European Commission.
Livestock farmers are facing problems with winter feed supplies being used in the summer as a result of the drought the UK faced in the heatwave.
DEFRA has indicated that although the summer may nearly be over, it could take up to 18 months for the price increases to reach inflation.