Extreme weather and its impact on farming viability in Wales

Already over the last five years Wales has experienced several extreme weather events, including the ‘Beast from the East’ and heavy snowfall in 2018; summer drought in 2018 followed by Storm Callum; storms such as Storm Dennis in February 2020 and Storm Ciaran in November 2023; wildfires in south Wales during the summers of 2022 and 2023, and drought declarations in mid and south-east Wales durin. [...] For example, in 2018, due to the impact of drought and floods on the growth of crops, grass and fodder in Wales, the total value of additional livestock feed bought in by farmers was estimated at £151m, and the estimated value of lambs lost was estimated at £23.8m. [...] Household food costs A recent study by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) showed that the cost of energy inputs and extreme weather accounted for the largest share of the rise in food prices experienced in the UK in 2022 (Lloyd et al., 2023). [...] • To conserve and enhance the countryside and cultural resources and promote public access to and engagement with them and sustain the Welsh language and promote and facilitate its use (Welsh government, 2023). [...] Estimates of total increased feed costs and animal losses By using the estimated climate-related increase in feed costs and losses per animal and using average flock and herd sizes from the Farm Business Survey, we can estimate the impact for an average farm and for Wales as a whole, given overall livestock numbers and farm numbers.