Britain’s cereal crop hit by drought

East Anglia: Britain, the European Union’s third-biggest wheat producer, declared a drought in the grain- growing East Anglian region and said other areas are also under threat after the driest spring on record.

The southeast, including London, southwest, midlands and Wales have near-drought conditions, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said.

Some cereal crops are facing “irreversible effects,” the government said. East Anglia accounts for 53% of Britain’s sugar-beet output, 17% for wheat and 13% for barley.