Climate change is a “growing problem” for pumpkin farmers ahead of Halloween season
October 2024: As the Halloween season approaches, farmers across the UK are grappling with dramatic changes in pumpkin sizes and yields, a direct consequence of increasingly unpredictable climate conditions.
The story was featured in The Independent.
Image: The Independent
This year, growers are reporting a mix of smaller pumpkins and abnormally low harvests, raising concerns not only for their livelihoods but also for the availability of Halloween staples.
Chad Stevens, who has been farming the 200-acre Horncastle Farm near Wakefield for the past decade, highlighted the stark contrasts in weather that have decimated this year’s pumpkin crop.
Image: Chad Stevens from Horncastle
Last year the harvest was affected by heat, this year, it's been the heavy rain experienced earlier in the year.
Mr Stevens said: “Of around 3,000 pumpkins planted last year, we only ended up with about 200. It was scorching for weeks. It didn’t rain, so they never got established.”
This year has been in stark contrast, he said: “It’s been the opposite end of the spectrum, with the ground so saturated in May that we could not get them in the ground when we wanted to. So we had to plant later.”
While this year’s crop is bigger, the pumpkins are often much smaller, he said: “While we have around 3,000 pumpkins now, they are not as big as we expected.” He noted that the largest pumpkins this year measure about eight inches across, significantly smaller than the 12-14 inches typical from previous harvests.
The Nature of Climate Change
Jamie Jones, a self-proclaimed “Pumpkin Freak” from Cheshire, echoed these sentiments, lamenting that this year’s harvest resulted in pumpkins that are “roughly two thirds to half the size” he would typically expect.
Image: The Pumpkin Freak
“I honestly feel like crying,” said Mr. Jones, who relies on beautiful, large pumpkins for his carving business. “Smaller pumpkins are more time-consuming to work with and much harder to carve.”
Jonathan Hewitt, who operates a 10-acre pumpkin patch on the Dunham Massey estate, Altrincham, also experienced devastating losses.
“In all my years, this was absolutely the worst one for pumpkins. We were hoping for 40,000, but we’ve seen about a 90% failure rate. It’s off the scale harsh.”
He highlighted that a combination of wet weather and slugs exacerbated the already difficult growing conditions.
Fifth-generation farmer and Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) member, Joe Hamer, of Shrewsbury, is also experiencing mixed fortunes. His pumpkins are ready for picking, but he estimates that only 60-80% of pick-your-own patches across the country are open this year, a significant loss for farmers who rely on seasonal tourists visiting for Halloween fun.
Image: Nature Friendly Farming Network member, Joe Hamer
“If you could have written a book about how you’d not want the weather to be, it would have been the weather this year,” he said.
Recent data from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, predicted England is on course for one of its worst harvests on record as a consequence of unprecedented rainfall earlier in the year. The winter of 2023/24 was the wettest on record in England in Wales, and followed the wettest 18 months on record for Britain since 1836. Climate change has been shown to have a major impact on food prices, with extreme weather adding £361 to the average household food bill in 2022 and 2023,” the report said.
A Call for Action
As farmers grapple with both immediate challenges and the long-term implications of climate change, Martin Lines, Chief Executive of the NFFN, stressed the need for urgent action.
He said: “If we want to continue enjoying these traditions, we need to think urgently about increasing the resilience of our food production and farming systems. The increasing volatility of our climate and weather patterns means we cannot guarantee pumpkins will be ripe and ready for picking in time for Halloween.”
As the industry faces these unprecedented challenges, both farmers and consumers may need to re-evaluate their expectations for the upcoming Halloween season. The resilience of local agriculture is being tested like never before, underscoring the urgency for sustainable farming practices that adapt to our changing climate.
Roger Harding, Director of Round Our Way, an organisation that supports people impacted by weather extremes in the UK, said:
“An unpredictable pumpkin harvest may seem a small thing but it's a big deal for many farmers and an example of how our increasingly unsettled weather is starting to have an impact on food prices and our traditions.
“A fun activity as simple as decorating a pumpkin can now be thwarted by our unsettled weather patterns. It’s frustrating for families and is genuinely worrying for the farmers who rely on the harvest.
“We urgently need politicians to make sure we are better prepared for the new weather extremes that climate change brings, and tackle the pollution that is causing them in the first place.”
