- Published
While this summer's hot and dry weather might be enjoyed by sunbathers, it is less than ideal for farmers.
uncertain
it → publish → farmers
Could it also have an effect on the prices we pay for food at the shops?
uncertain
we → have → shops
A chilled supermarket aisle might just be the most comfortable place to be as heatwaves continue to warm up the UK.
uncertain
heatwaves → continue → UK
Fridges are working in overdrive to keep produce cool, shutters are being pulled down to keep the hot air at bay, and some goods are being taken off the shelves on the hottest days.
asserted
goods → work → days
More than half of England has entered drought conditions, according to a declaration by the Environment Agency last week.
uncertain
half → enter → Agency
But as temperatures continue to soar, the chillers are not the only thing that retailers might be adjusting.
uncertain
retailers → continue → that
Extreme weather creates a knock-on effect on all parts of the supply chain, and the British Retail Consortium is warning that could force prices up.
uncertain
that → create → prices
A supply chain involves a small number of stages, from a product being made until it gets to the shops for people to buy.
asserted
people → involve → shops
If you take a loaf of bread as an example, first the grain is grown, harvested, milled and stored until it is ready to be taken to a factory.
asserted
it → take → factory
Those ingredients are used to bake and package the bread, which is taken to warehouses before eventually ending up on supermarket shelves.
asserted
which → use → shelves
Each stage of that process will incur expenses such as transport and storage, and rising costs at any step could end up in the product you buy being more expensive.
uncertain
you → incur → step
Last week, farmers and flour producers said they were adapting to the challenges of dealing with the earliest harvest for 50 years.
asserted
they → say → years
And the National Farmers' Union has warned there could be a shortage of certain food products if current drought conditions continue.
uncertain
conditions → warn → products
"One week of hot weather will not make a loaf of bread more expensive," says Prof Manoj Dora, director of the Centre for Intelligent Supply Chains at Anglia Ruskin University, which has campuses in Cambridgeshire and Essex.
asserted
which → make → Cambridgeshire
But he says prices could rise if supplies of crops run out, largely because of how it would affect the very beginning of the supply chain.
uncertain
it → say → chain
"We may see that meat, milk, eggs, and chicken will be impacted by [a lack of] animal feed," he says.
uncertain
he → see → feed
"Across different food products, prices could surge if we do not manage these things immediately."
uncertain
we → surge → things
Dora describes the UK's supply chain as "resilient" so the effects of the heatwave may not be felt immediately.
"We need to start thinking of the long term by reconfiguring our supply chain in terms of locations and transportation, and by supporting the farmers," he adds.
uncertain
he → describe → farmers
Simon Willis, chief executive of Cambridge-based grain storage co-operative Camgrain, says drought conditions mean this year's crops have not been able to reach their full potential.
asserted
crops → base → potential
Harvest usually starts in early August, he says, but after a very dry spring it has already been and gone.
asserted
it → start → spring
"This year's very dry harvest will mean that the quality will be good but the yield will be down," he tells BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
asserted
he → mean → Cambridgeshire
David Wheatley, an arable farmer from Wisbech St Mary in Cambridgeshire, says he thinks farmers are likely to be hit harder than consumers by heatwaves.
asserted
farmers → say → heatwaves
"A lot of contracts with supermarkets are already agreed a year in advance, so [farmers] are not going to get paid any more money even though their yields are down this year.
asserted
yields → agree → money
"I don't really think it's going to affect the prices in the supermarkets, because they can just bring more food in from other countries.
asserted
they → think → countries
But Dora says imported goods could also be affected, particularly wine from countries such as France, which has also faced severe high temperatures.
uncertain
which → say → temperatures
"Wine has not just a quantity problem, but also a quality problem," the academic explains.
asserted
academic → have → problem
Are retailers prepared?
asserted
retailers → prepare → ?
The British Retail Consortium says climate change is creating challenges for both retailers and their suppliers.
asserted
change → say → retailers
"Extreme weather, including drought, can affect crop yields and place upward pressure on prices," its director of food and sustainability policy Andrew Opie says.
"
asserted
director → include → policy
Retailers are experienced in managing supply disruptions and will take all necessary steps, including sourcing from alternative suppliers where appropriate, to minimise any impact on customers."
asserted
Retailers → manage → customers
Do you have a story suggestion for Cambridgeshire?
asserted
you → have → Cambridgeshire
- Published
While this summer's hot and dry weather might be enjoyed by sunbathers, it is less than ideal for farmers.
uncertain
it → publish → farmers
Could it also have an effect on the prices we pay for food at the shops?
uncertain
we → have → shops
A chilled supermarket aisle might just be the most comfortable place to be as heatwaves continue to warm up the UK.
uncertain
heatwaves → continue → UK
Fridges are working in overdrive to keep produce cool, shutters are being pulled down to keep the hot air at bay, and some goods are being taken off the shelves on the hottest days.
asserted
goods → work → days
More than half of England has entered drought conditions, according to a declaration by the Environment Agency last week.
uncertain
half → enter → Agency
But as temperatures continue to soar, the chillers are not the only thing that retailers might be adjusting.
uncertain
retailers → continue → that
Extreme weather creates a knock-on effect on all parts of the supply chain, and the British Retail Consortium is warning that could force prices up.
uncertain
that → create → prices
A supply chain involves a small number of stages, from a product being made until it gets to the shops for people to buy.
asserted
people → involve → shops
If you take a loaf of bread as an example, first the grain is grown, harvested, milled and stored until it is ready to be taken to a factory.
asserted
it → take → factory
…and 22 more, not listed.
