Editorial: No drought here yet, but dry weather is still a worry for farms

With huge swathes of the United Kingdom now officially in a drought, the hot dry summer has been a difficult time for farmers.

While there are no immediate concerns about drought in Northern Ireland, the dry conditions have had a particular impact on crop farmers.

Livestock farmers will also be concerned about the knock-on effect the drought in most of England and all of Wales will have on feed prices down the line, with grain yields down.

They have also faced their own pressures in Northern Ireland, where the prolonged warm and dry weather has put pressure on water supplies and grass growth in certain areas.

The brief spells of rain have provided some respite, despite some extraordinarily dry conditions in the province over the past month.

That has not been the case for much of England and Wales. They are experiencing record-low river levels, scorched fields and widespread wildfires.

All of this is having a mounting impact on farmers, as well as our wildlife. Images from Suffolk on Thursday were reminiscent of images normally seen on the continent, with helicopters using sea water to douse flames spreading towards homes.

Across the EU, this is already the worst year on record for wildfire damage, with 434,976 hectares burned.

On the continent, there is debate about what is behind the hellish infernos. Some say it is purely a consequence of man-made climate change and rising temperatures.

Others say while that is of course a factor, but there needs to be a look at how rural landscapes are managed and the role that plays in fuelling the fires.

In the years to come, these may be issues we have to address here, even in normally wet Northern Ireland.