CONSUMERS in East Lancashire could face a rise in food prices because of the extra money farmers are paying out on livestock feed.
Clitheroe beef and sheep farmer Thomas Binns, who is chairman of the livestock board for the National Farmers' Union, said producers had no choice but to increase prices to recoup the increased outlay.
The financial pressure is being exerted because animal feed prices have rocketed.
The driving force behind the rise in animal feed prices has been poor weather which has hit crops, in particular Britain's wheat crop which has been blighted by heavy rainfall.
Mr Binns said: "Forward prices for beef cattle producers look savage. To try and recoup the money they have lost they need to put 40 or 50 pence a kilo on the price of their beef.
"This is going to have a knock on effect for consumers.
"This has been creeping away all summer because yields are down."
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