Fears that English brassica and root crops could have been decimated following a week of often severe flooding and rain over the last week have failed to materialise, according to Michael Holmes, chairman of horticulture at the National Farmers' Union. However, the inclement weather has brought price rises.

Holmes told freshinfo that there have been no reports of supermarket programmes being disrupted, although production costs have risen, mainly because crops may only be harvested by hand in many areas.

While this was confirmed by several growers and packers, there is still concern that further heavy frosts could affect quality if fields have to thaw out.

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