Weather events this year have forced UK retailers to import salads and other vegetables from other European countries such as Spain, Poland and even the US in an attempt to quell supply issues from local producers, according to The Guardian.
Earlier this year, growers were hit by the 'Beast From The East', which delayed planting of new crops.
Currently, the main issue facing farmers is the continuing heatwave, leading to a shortage of various vegetables, including salad, onions celery, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.
As the year has been mostly dry around various parts of Europe, including the UK, there has been a gap between production and customer demand bolstered by the current weather.
Inclement Weather
According to the Tim O'Malley of Nationwide Produce, interviewed last week by The Guardian, the cold weather earlier this year resulted in a uniquely bad situation “We had a cold, wet spring, which meant crops were planted late and often in cold and wet soil conditions.
"The crops got off to a bad start and now they are suffering not just due to lack of rainfall but also heat. At temperatures above 27°C, crops simply stop growing and now is the vital growing period. Irrigating crops is simply keeping them alive at these temperatures – alive but not growing. Crops without irrigation are dying,”
O'Malley also added the price of certain vegetables such as carrots are up 140% compared to last year.
While these prices haven't fully trickled down to the consumer yet, O'Malley added that farmers were negotiating with retailers about changing prices as well as size and weight specifications.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Matthieu Chassain. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
