In Kent, farmer Clive Baxter is protecting his Bramley apple crop by applying a clay-based coating to shield them from extreme heat . This practice at Amsbury Farm aims to mitigate the damage caused by the United Kingdom's fifth heatwave of the year.
The clay-based shield at Amsbury Farm
Clive Baxter, the 66-year-old managing director of Amsbury Farm in Maidstone , Kent, has implemented a unique defense against rising temperatures. for the past six years, Baxter has applied a specialized clay-based coating to his Bramley apples to prevent the fruit from "cooking" on the trees.
As the source reports, this methd was born out of necessity after Baxter estimated he was losing up to one-fifth of his apple crop each year to extreme heat . Having worked the land for 40 years, Baxter views this "sun cream" as a vital tool in an era of shifting climate patterns that threaten traditional farming yields.
The fifth heatwave and the "corpse" of potato crops
The United Kingdom is currently grappling with its fifth heatwave of the year, prompting the UK Health Security Agency to issue amber heat alerts for the South East, East, and East Midlands. This extreme weather is not only affecting orchards but is also devatating other sectors of the agricultural industry.
Potato farmers, in particulr, are facing a dire situation as their crops dry out due to a lack of rainfall... One farmer, according to the report, described the futility of attempting to irrigate parched potatoes as being "like watering a corpse." This highlights the escalating difficulty of maintaining traditional crop yields during prolonged dry spells and rising temperatures.
The push for nine new reservoirs
National food security has become a central theme in the debate over the UK's water infrastructure. Clive Baxter has explicitly called on the government to install more reservoirs to ensure that farms can maintain consistent food production levels during droughts.
In response to these growing concerns, the government has promised to drive record investments in infrastructure, which includes the planned development of nine new reservoirs. This move aims to address the drought conditions that the National Farmers' Union (NFU) warns could lead to significant food shortages across the country .
Missing timelines in the government's water plan
While the government has pledged long-term changes to the water industry, several critical details remain unverified. The report does not specify the timeline for the construction of the nine promised reservoirs, nor does it detail how these projects will be funded or managed.
Furthermore, it is unclear whether the current amber heat alerts and the proposed infrastructure will be sufficient to prevent the crop shortages feared by the NFU. The source also lacks a direct response from government officials regarding Baxter's specific assertion that food security is a fundamental component of national security.
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