Yews can have three-year-old needles yellow/brown and fall off in the spring, especially if they are in clay soils.
It's possible that some other stressor could be at work too but we can't tell from your photo.
The good news is that we can already see lots of fresh new growth on the branch tips that will soon expand and make the shrub look healthier soon.
Yews have few problems in our area, though they won't stand wet 'feet' (roots) for any length of time.


Christine