The price of bread, biscuits and beer could be at risk of rising as a result of months of wet weather in the UK, a report has suggested.

Harvests of crops including wheat, barley and oats may fall by more than 17% this year compared to 2023.

The Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), which produced the analysis, said that if there is a shortfall in UK crops, food producers may have to import more from overseas, potentially increasing costs.

The UK has had one of the wettest winters on record and there has been a soggy start to spring in many parts of the country.

The wet weather has left many fields too wet to be planted with new crops.

The ECIU said that UK production of wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape may drop by four million tonnes in 2024. It based its analysis on data from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and yield figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Inflation – which measures the pace of price rises – has been easing, most recently due to slower price increases in bread, crumpets and chocolate biscuits, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Prices for bread and cereals rose by 0.2% between February and March, compared to a 2.2% increase in the same period last year.

Last week, the boss of Associated British Foods, which owns bread brands including Allinson’s and Kingsmill, warned that prices may rise due to forecasts of a small UK wheat harvest this year.

While the company had not lifted food prices over the past six months, chief executive George Weston said: “One to watch out for is UK cereal.

“The harvest in July and August may be very small and we may be importing quite a lot of grain to the UK and that will come at a cost.”