Drought and bluetongue are combining to leave livestock farmers with little grass growth. They are being forced to use winter feed reserves early, and there are concerns about animal losses, fertility and finances.
According to a report on the County Farms Estate, tenants in Devon are among farmers facing mounting pressure during what it calls one of the driest summers in history. The report says many tenants had already used up their winter forage reserves after the dry summer of 2025 and the wet winter and spring that followed. It adds that the summer of 2026 has brought more problems, with many livestock farmers seeing no grass growth since first-cut silage.
Maize crops are described as poor and prematurely ripened, and straw has become scarce and expensive. Many tenants are also quickly using stocks meant for next winter because they have to buffer-feed livestock due to the lack of grass growth.
Bluetongue has compounded the problems. The report says livestock have been lost despite the rapid deployment of vaccines. When the report was written, there had been 618 confirmed cases of bluetongue in England and Wales, with 331 of them, 53%, in Devon. While the immediate loss of livestock is expected to have an impact, the report says the potentially larger and longer-term concern is the effect of the virus on fertility, including among vaccinated breeding stock.
Estate managers are receiving more and more calls from distressed tenants affected by drought, bluetongue or both. The chair and vice-chair of the Farms Estate Committee have also heard first-hand about some of the challenges tenants are facing during recent monitoring visits.
The report says the situation is not unprecedented but describes it as a time of considerable concern within the farming community. Tenants have already been sent links to the Gov.uk bluetongue advisory pages. The National Farmers Union also invited all estate tenants, whether members or not, to attend a bluetongue advisory and awareness event supported by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and veterinary experts.
A further email gave tenants details of emergency grants from the Addington Fund for the effects of bluetongue and drought, new drought support pledged by the government, and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution emergency drought fund.
Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs Cllr Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin wrote to Dame Angela Eagle MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on August 5, with South West MPs copied into the correspondence. Cllr Cottle-Hunkin asked the government, on behalf of the farming sector, for faster testing, honest and transparent reporting, proactive communication, adequate vaccine supplies, practical financial support and a long-term national strategy to prepare for the effects of a changing climate. The letter also highlighted the short and potential long-term financial and emotional stress caused by the outbreak, its cumulative impact on the mental wellbeing of farming families and the potential threat to food security.
Cllr Cottle-Hunkin also briefed full council on September 3 about the impact of bluetongue in Devon and beyond. The report warns that drought and bluetongue could affect tenants' cashflow and profitability, potentially for the next couple of years.
Drought and Bluetongue Mount Pressure on Devon Farm Tenants