BAD weather conditions which has delayed harvests could lead to further rises in food prices.

Farmers who have normally finished gathering in their crops, are in many cases still battling to finish the job in the face of continual rain. And in parts of the country crops are rotting in waterlogged fields.

One problem is actually getting into fields, and farmers say they will be faced with considerable extra costs through having to dry wet crops.

Richard Reeves, who farms 800 acres of land at Knutsford, Cheshire, says he still has around a quarter of his oat and wheat crop to harvest, when in normal season he would have finished.

He said: "Many farmers will undoubtedly be facing problems and extra costs, but that is the nature of the game. You have to look at farming on a four to five year cycle.

"We had a worse harvest four years ago, and we've been here before. Yes, it's depressing and it gets you down when there is so much rain, but we'll survive."

Mr Reeves, who is the NFU's north west chairman of combinable crops says he is not surprised at talk of food prices rising, but says he does not believe there is any reason for it to happen.

"There has been a good quantity of milling wheat harvested, and the price is also low, so there is no excuse for bread makers to increase prices, unless it is to cover other increased costs, or keep their margins up.

"Some farmers will lose a good percentage of their vegetable crop, but overall the picture is not so bleak that there should be a serious shortage."

Mr Reeves who has been farming for 35 years, said: "We will probably manage to harvest three quarters of what is left in our fields if we have a reasonable amount of fair weather over the next few weeks."

Farmers nationally have been helped by the government's decision to temporarily lift a ban on the use of heavy machinery including combine harvesters and tractors on sodden land.

The ban, which was introduced as an environmental measure to protect waterlogged land from being excessively damaged, has been lifted until October 4, which means a race against time to bring in crops.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: "I am very aware of the problems that farmers are facing in many parts of the country in getting the harvest in after all the rain there has been, and the prohibition on using machinery on waterlogged soil is likely to make the problem worse.

"In the light of this, and following representations from the NFU and others, I have decided to lift this restriction. We need to do all we can to help the harvest, and I hope this decision will go some way to help farmers who have been most affected."