Farmers are warning that a wet summer and warmer winter last year could have paved the way for more disease in crops. A cold winter is needed to help Lincolnshire crops survive any sudden frosts and disease next year, according to some county growers. They say it is impossible to tell if the recent milder weather is down to climate change. However it comes as world leaders meet in Paris for the COP21 UN climate change summit. Prime Minister David Cameron described failing crops and rising sea levels and said: "Instead of making excuses tomorrow to our children and grandchildren, we should be taking action against climate change today." Chris Wray, 36, farms wheat, oilseed rape, vining peas and linseed crops in Donington, and is the National Farmers' Union vice chairman for South Holland. He said that a warm and wet summer has increased the risk of disease in crops, and welcomed the talks in Paris. "The biggest thing we are experiencing is the unpredictable and extreme nature of the weather," he said. "Most people a generation above us will remember when a winter was a winter. It came cold and stayed cold, snowed at some point and that snow hung around. "Today it is 15 degrees and I have seen people buying Christmas trees in T-shirts. "What that means for us is the cold weather that usually kills a number of the pests and diseases doesn't happen, so we have to use chemicals to do the same job as best we can. "We seem to get milder weather for a much greater length of time, but despite causing more disease, it does mean we can produce a great deal more veg for a bigger proportion of the year locally for the country." He welcomed the talks, adding: "At the end of the day it is always good it is being spoken about, it is never a bad thing, but it is so far removed from here. "It is a case of how long it takes to filter back to us." David Armstrong, 54, who farms in Bardney, said: "It is a difficult one because the changes are miniscule. "In my recent past, in the last 10 years we have seen two bad wet years that we probably haven't seen in the previous 10 years. "We do require a normal hard winter, i.e cold. "Potatoes left in the field, and on the surface of the field, a hard frost helps kill them off so they don't become a disease risk next season. "What I would say affects us more is what decisions are made by politicians coming up with regards to climate change." Tim Casey, of J and V Casey and Son in Coningsby, farms vegetables including leeks, and said: "In the last few years we have had warm autumns but also slightly wetter and cooler summers on the whole, even though we have had hot and dry spells at times. "We do need a bit of a harder frost or some low temperatures to harden plants up. "It really is too warm for crops as they will continue to grow and get over-mature. "If it does get cold in January or February then that will be a problem as they will be susceptible to frost because they will have grown too much." Source - http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk