Devon’s farmers are being ‘pushed to the limit’ by a combination of drought and disease.
Now one local MP is calling on the Prime Minister to do more to combat climate change and adapt to changing weather patterns in a summer and winter.
“It’s one crisis after another for local farmers.,” said South Devon Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden. “We know they are being pushed to their limit.”
According to the Exeter-based Met Office the last significant and widespread heavy rain in Devon came during the named storms – Ingrid and Chandra – at the end of January.
There were minor showers in early June, but since then the county has experienced an exceptionally dry summer – with 2026 ranking as the driest on record, leading to a declared drought and exceptionally low river flows by late August.
A hosepipe ban is in force across the county, although some rain is expected later this week.
In a social media video Ms Voaden said places like certain sections of the River Dart were dryer than they had been for years, but farmers still had problems trying to get permits from the Environment Agency to extract water during the winter when levels were higher.
“They need to be able to fill reservoirs on farms, build more reservoirs on farms and protect their water supply for the summer months,” she said. “I have heard from a vegetable grower who said it’s been really touch and go for his business this year, keeping his vegetables watered.”
She also cited bluetongue, the viral disease which is spread by midges and affects ruminants such as sheep, cattle, goats, and deer and camelids such as llamas and alpacas.
The exceptionally warm, dry summer has created ideal conditions for these midges to multiply and thrive.
Infected livestock suffer from fever, severe lameness, facial swelling, mouth ulcers, breathing difficulties and in some cases birth defects or death.
Devon is currently the worst-affected county in England, and more than 300 farms in the county have confirmed cases.
“I don’t think we’ve heard enough from Andy Burnham since he became Prime Minister about the effects of climate change,” said Ms Voaden. “I don’t think a ban on disposable barbecues goes anywhere close to addressing the crisis that we’re facing!
“I really hope that when we go back to Parliament in September, we’ll hear more from the Prime Minister on what he’s actually going to do to address this very real threat of climate change, and how we are going to have to adapt our systems to cope with long, hot, dry summers and probably more intense rainfall in the winter.”
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