Farmer resorts to applying special 'sun cream' on his APPLES to stop them boiling amid Britain's record-breaking heatwave

By NOOR QURASHI, NEWS REPORTER and MARK DUELL, DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTER (DIGITAL) Published: 10:46, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 10:50, 4 August 2026 A farmer has resorted to applying special 'sun cream' on his apples to stop them cooking on the tree amid Britain's record-breaking heatwave. Clive Baxter insists fruit left in the sun on his family farm in Maidstone, Kent, is being 'ruined' due to juice 'boiling' inside as temperatures climb above 30C. Following in his father's footsteps, the 66-year-old has toiled the land for 40 years. His farm produces 2,000 tonnes of apples per year - but for the last six years he has had to coat his Bramley apples with clay to prevent them from cooking as the climate changes. Mr Baxter, managing director at Amsbury Farm, said: 'They definitely cook when it's above 30 and there's no wind. 'The juice in the fruit starts to boil, if you're in the shade it's 30, 35, but in the direct sunlight the fruit actually starts to cook on the tree. 'The juice starts boiling, and that particular apple in the sun is ruined.' Following the heatwave in 1976, when he was aged 16, one of Mr Baxter's first tasks when he began work with his father 10 years later was convincing him to install a reservoir. Clive Baxter is pictured with the 'suncream' coated apples at Amsbury Farm, in Maidstone, Kent He insists fruit left in the sun on his family farm in Maidstone, Kent, is being 'ruined' due to juice 'boiling' inside as temperatures climb above 30C 'The juice in the fruit starts to boil, if you're in the shade it's 30, 35, but in the direct sunlight the fruit actually starts to cook on the tree,' Mr Baxter said Before coating the apples, Mr Baxter estimates he lost up to a fifth in spoilage each year. He said: 'After '76, I convinced my father we needed to put in a reservoir, which was highly unusual back then for tree fruits, people generally didn't have reservoirs for tree fruits. 'We have trickle irrigation systems that are in most of the orchards. 'But even where we're trickle irrigating this year, there's still signs of stress, the trees just don't like this heat. It's too much.' Over the last seven years, the farm has started branching out to other types of fruit - including grapes and apricots - alongside the more traditional apples, pears, plums, and cherries. Now, Mr Baxter's four daughters sell wine made from the farm's vineyards. He added: 'Tree fruits are a long term investment, you can't just change crops overnight like you can with an arable crop. 'It's not that straight forward, switching over to more heat tolerant crops.' Before coating the apples, Mr Baxter estimates he lost up to a fifth in spoilage each year Over the last seven years, the farm has started branching out to other types of fruit - including grapes and apricots - alongside the more traditional apples, pears, plums, and cherries. Mr Baxter is pictured here with some apples Mr Baxter has called on the government to start installing more reservoirs to ensure farms can keep producing. He said: 'I think farms have been rather forgotten, national security involves food security - if you can't eat and drink, you've got a problem.' On Sunday, speaking to Radio 4's Broadcasting House, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw warned of the potential for shortages of some food products if action isn't taken due to drought conditions. It comes as London, the South East, East, and East Midlands, were issued an amber heat alert by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Last week, a drought was declared in half of England following record low rainfall and high temperatures. On Tuesday, July 28, water minister Emma Hardy said: 'Our climate is changing, droughts are becoming increasingly common, and we need to be prepared for this new normal. 'We're delivering long-term change in the water industry and driving record investments in infrastructure, including nine new reservoirs. 'We expect water companies to follow their drought plans, to go further and faster to reduce leaks, and to ensure supplies are not disrupted even in the driest of weather.' A tractor tows a disc harrow across a dry field during the heat near Ashford in Kent yesterday A wildfire on the cliffs at Basset's Cove between Portreath and Gwithian in Cornwall yesterday Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Farmers today warned Britain's record-breaking heatwave and dry weather could lead to crop shortages as some areas entered a 48th consecutive day without rain. The NFU said low rainfall and very hot weather have dried soil - with some farmers in drought-hit areas also now having water access restricted. Potatoes are particularly under threat because they stop growing in temperatures over 30C, with one farmer saying putting water on them was 'like watering a corpse'. The UK is enduring its fifth heatwave of the year this week with UK Health Security Agency amber heat health alerts in place for the South and East until tomorrow. Another record tumbled yesterday when the temperature reached 33.5C in Wisley in Surrey, marking the 20th day of 2026 when 32C or higher was recorded in the UK. Wisley is also the UK's driest spot with 47 days in a row without measurable rainfall up to yesterday, while some other areas have had almost zero rain in June and July. Despite some heavy rain and thunderstorms hitting northern England and Scotland today, the latest hot weather in the South is another blow to British farming. Farming leaders have warned it is 'one of the most severe droughts many farmers and growers have lived through', with poor yields, struggles to access water for fruit and vegetables and livestock keepers using winter feed for their animals. The industry has already been affected this year by winter flooding which made planting difficult - and the NFU this week demanded urgent action to secure water supplies for homegrown food production. NFU president Tom Bradshaw said the ongoing hot and dry conditions could lead to food shortages. He told BBC Radio 4 that Prime Minister Andy Burnham should give farmers tax breaks for water storage systems on their land to prepare for future hot weather. Mr Bradshaw said: 'Those other countries around the world that we currently rely on to produce our food and vegetables, their climates are changing as well. 'It does feel like there is going to be shortages of [food] products.' Wheat farmers have said their crop is half its normal height, and England is experiencing its earliest-ever harvest as farmers bid to salvage their lacklustre yield. Farmers are also warning that many of the countries the UK imports food from in Europe are also being hit by weather extremes and wildfires. Mr Bradshaw continued: 'This is one of the most severe droughts many farmers and growers have lived through. 'Harvest yields are looking poor, farmers are struggling to access water to irrigate fruit and vegetables, and livestock farmers are having to use grass they cut this spring for their stores of winter feed for cattle as there's very little grass growing now. 'If this summer teaches us anything, it is that we must prioritise food production. We can't produce food without water.' Should farmers be encouraged to experiment with new ways to protect crops?