New diseases brought on by changing weather patterns could impact Britain's plants and animals, a dairy farmer has warned.
National Farmers' Union deputy president Paul Tompkins told The Independent: "The UK is not well-prepared for emerging diseases.
"As our weather patterns change, we are going to be impacted by new diseases for our animals and our plants that we haven't come across before."
The recent "explosion" of bluetongue in North Devon is a "real-life example" of this, Mr Tompkins added.
Bluetongue is an insect-borne virus which does not affect humans or food safety. Its symptoms are most severe in sheep and can result in weight loss, disruption in wool growth, and sometimes death.
Following warm weather in July, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs warned that cumulative temperatures were high enough for the virus to develop inside midges and onward transmission was possible.
"We need to make sure that we're in a place where we can tackle [new viruses and diseases], punch them back as soon as they do arrive, because we cannot allow these challenges to decimate our UK farming capability," Mr Tompkins said.
