FALTERING British efforts to tackle Afghanistan’s poppy crop have found an unlikely ally – in the weather. Freak winter weather linked to global warming is expected to decimate parts of the country’s opium harvest. Scientists believe freezing temperatures followed by late rains and a possible drought could slash this year’s yields. Some farmers could suffer up to 50 per cent losses. The fierce cold – which claimed hundreds of lives across Afghanistan – is thought to have stopped millions of poppy seeds from germinating, while late rains and a meagre snow melt following an unusually low snowfall have stunted many of the plants that survived. One expert said: “It was too cold in some areas for the seeds to come alive. Between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of the seeds may not have germinated.”