Food prices set to rise

Food prices look set to rise after poor UK harvests due to recent wet weather.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said wheat yields in England were down by almost 15% on the five-year average, with productivity down to 1980s levels.

The British Retail Consortium said food prices were already being driven up after a rise in grain costs following the worst drought in 50 years in the US and a summer heatwave in Russia.

Poor UK harvests also mean smaller fruit and vegetables than normal.

This summer was the second wettest in the UK since records began, Met Office figures indicated. The only summer - defined as June, July and August - which was wetter since national records began was in 1912.

A drought across much of England during the spring followed by record-breaking wet weather has meant a poor wheat harvest for many farmers, the NFU said.

NFU figures suggested wheat yields were down by 14.1% - but some farmers in the wet western half of England were reporting even lower yields, it said.

Meanwhile, the global price of wheat has risen by some 30% over the past 12 months, adding to fears over rises in food prices.

The extreme weather has taken its toll on the amount of food produced and the quality of food and grain.