NFU president Sir Ben Gill has called on the Government to introduce incentives to help farmers tackle climate change.

Sir Ben said farmers could make a significant contribution by helping to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide society uses.

He believes that farmers can help by growing crops not for food but for fuel.

Starchy plants such as wheat could be turned into green fuels like bio-ethanol while oilseed rape could be used to produce bio-diesel. Crops from hemp to potatoes could also produce a range of products like car interiors, fabrics and cosmetics.

Sir Ben has a 360-acre farm near Easingwold where he produces wheat, barley, oilseed rape, sugar beet and short rotation coppice willow for renewable energy.

He called on the Government to introduce proper and appropriate incentives to ensure that the alternative crop uses industry gets off the ground as it is already doing in other countries.

He said: "More than any other industry, farming is beholden to the weather. Whether it rains or shines it has a major impact on the whole crop cycle from planting to harvesting.

"Farmers can play a major part in tackling climate change by growing crops not for food but for fuel or as the basis for other industrial products that currently use non-biodegradable materials.

"The fledgling renewable energy industry must be allowed to get off the ground so that it can help tackle the effects of climate change. This hot weather should focus the minds of ministers."

Sir Ben spoke of the effects of the sweltering temperatures on his farm. As a result his 200-acre cereal crop is being harvested two or three weeks ahead of normal.

His yield per ton has also been extremely variable. In areas of sandy soil the soil loses moisture more quickly in the heat. On his farm wheat yields are down by a third and barley by 25pc in such areas.