A Suffolk farmer whose fuel costs have doubled in the past year says he feels guilty about passing on a farm that may not provide his son with the income he deserves.
Chris Suckling runs Woodlands Farm in Holbrook, Suffolk, and says his costs from fuel and fertiliser alone have risen to £40,800 this year compared to previous years.
Suckling, who grows potatoes among other crops, was previously spending £27,000 a year on red diesel, a figure that has now doubled to £54,000.
The cost of fertilisers has also climbed sharply, rising from £53,200 to £67,200 per year, while hauliers have added surcharges on their mileage.
Suckling blamed the Iran war for driving up his costs and said attempts to diversify his products had only added further financial pressure.
The farm has been running at a loss, and next year’s crops are also not projected to generate significant income for Suckling.
“Farmers are voting, they are packing it in,” he said, adding that land was increasingly being left bare or converted to solar farms, renewables, and housing.
“I’m the fourth generation, Harry is the fifth generation, and he is keen as mustard to carry it on,” Suckling said, expressing guilt about the farm’s uncertain financial outlook.
“We hope a change of government or change of political stance will encourage people to farm,” he added.
John Pawsey, an organic farmer at Shimpling Park Farm near Bury St Edmunds, said his fixed costs had risen between 25% and 35%, though his concern centred more on unpredictable weather affecting yields.
“So it’s fine if we get an average yield, we can probably pay for some of those increased prices, but if we get a lower yield, it’s a perfect storm,” Pawsey said.
Pawsey said he could not see a solution to the problems farmers faced other than an increase in food prices, though he stressed the importance of retaining customers.
“We’re not a charity. We need to be paid a fair price for doing it, but we also have to keep our customers,” he said.
Cath Crowther, regional director of the Country Land and Business Association, said she had recently spoken to many people who described current conditions as the worst they had ever experienced.
“It’s very, very tough out there at the moment,” Crowther said, warning that without profitability, the investment needed to drive innovation in the sector could not materialise.
Emma Reynolds, Secretary of State for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs, said the government was taking decisive action to support farmers by cutting red diesel fuel duty to its lowest rate in over 20 years.
“We’re committed to protecting the farming sector from global pressures, including the war in Iran,” Reynolds said in a statement.