NFU president Tom Bradshaw calls on the government to take action to prevent extreme weather affecting the UK's food supply.

There could be a shortage of certain food products if the current drought conditions continue, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) has warned. NFU president Tom Bradshaw said yields of wheat and oats were "very, very poor" this year and warned livestock farmers have had to use their winter feed rations because they have been unable to grow grass. Drought has been declared across large parts of England and the whole of Wales as successive heatwaves left water supplies under strain, with more than 20 million people now under hosepipe bans. Amber heat health alerts have also been issued for large parts of England, including the Midlands, the south-east and south-west of England, until Wednesday. Bradshaw told the BBC that high temperatures and drought conditions had placed all areas of farming under increasing pressure. Vegetable producers, he said, are running low on water, reducing the amount of food produced in the UK and increasing the cost it takes to grow it. "We have to recognise that water security is a critical part of our food security and food security is our national security," Bradshaw said. He called on the government to invest more heavily in reservoirs, saying too much water that could be collected during winter was instead being pumped out into the North Sea.