Drought could cause shortage of certain foods, head of National Farmers Union warns

Speaking to the BBC, Bradshaw said high temperatures and drought conditions have placed all areas of farming under increasing pressure.

Vegetable producers, he said, are running low on water, reducing the amount of food produced in the UK and increasing the cost it takes to grow it.

“We can’t change what’s happening at the moment, there is no water in our rivers, but we must use this to take action for the future,” he said.

“We have to recognise that water security is a critical part of our food security and food security is our national security.”

He called on the government to invest more heavily in reservoirs, saying too much water that could be collected during winter is instead pumped out into the North Sea.

“We can’t change what’s happening at the moment, there is no water in our rivers, but we must use this to take action for the future,” he said.