Brassica industry body says broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage yields have halved due to severe heat and drought, with continued shortages expected
The impact of extreme weather on British brassicas has now become ‘critical’, according to industry body the British Growers’ Association (BGA).
Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage has stopped growing due to prolonged heat and a lack of rain in recent weeks, despite irrigation systems and reservoirs on farms.
Yields this year are as low as 50 per cent in some areas, with conditions only likely to worsen as a dry August is expected, according to the BGA.
John Walgate, CEO of the BGA, said: “Having struggled this year to maintain supply, with crops becoming dormant and smaller in weight and size, with variation in quality, the drop in yield is now effectively doubling the cost of crops once they are harvested and distributed.”
Peter Durose, chairman of the BGA, described the situation as a growing “crisis” for growers. “On top of increasing input costs around labour and energy, the extreme weather has now created an emergency,” he said.
“The Brassica Association is calling on retailers to ensure the situation and support British growers to help ensure the sustainability of British-grown broccoli, cabbage and cauliflowers, not just this year, but for the future.”
According to The Guardian, broccoli is being imported from Spain and the Netherlands due to domestic shortages, with cauliflower supplies also expected to run short in the following weeks.
There have also been other reports of extreme weather causing British cucumber and red cabbage shortages, as well as pea yields falling by a third due to scorching temperatures.
The shortages come as the UK’s biggest supermarkets have written to Andy Burnham in an open letter urging him to make food security a national priority and reduce reliance on food imports.
