FARMERS in Gwent are counting the cost of a wet summer, according to the Farmers' Union of Wales.

Neil Smith, county development officer for the FUW, said the lack of consistency in the weather had produced a negative effect on the quality of many crops.

"While it is not yet a disaster, it is something we are very concerned about," said Mr Smith, who is based in Abergavenny.

"The lack of four or five days of straight sunshine has meant problems with the harvest with many crops simply not ready to be collected.

"The greatest effect has been on arable farmers where we have seen the barley crop produced before hay when normally it would be the other way round.

"The problem is the longer you wait, the more it will affect the quality which of course, in turn, will affect the price. Another problem farmers face is the drying costs of those crops which have high moisture content because of the constant bursts of storms and rain.

"In some cases it may not be worth their while to harvest them at all."

Mr Smith added the problem was not limited to arable farmers and that upland farmers had also experienced problems. "Upland crops like silage have also been affected quite badly," he said.

No figure has been placed on the amount farmers may have lost this summer but farming leaders are already planning to meet EU and Defra officials to discuss possible assistance payments.