Heavy rainfall in the UK over the past two weeks is threatening a number of key crops.
The Potato Council has reported that rain has delayed lifting. Denis Alder, a statistician at the council said: “We are running about four per cent behind last year when harvesting was early because of the worry about blight. Nevertheless, the crop is about two per cent behind the overall average and the rain is starting to have an impact with a lot of growers concerned about wet rot.”
The west of the country has generally been harder hit than the east, and also the English-Scottish border country.
“The situation will certainly become of greater concern if we see any more rain over the next two weeks,” said Alder. “Farmers are having to juggle their harvesting with that of other crops as many of them also produce combinable crops which are the priority.
“Formerly, it did not matter if producers did not lift potatoes until mid-November, but with the way things have been changing in recent years, they will start to get quite anxious if they are not into the crop next month.”
Alder calculates from the council’s second estimate for the season that plantings are down by about two per cent on last year. “Herefordshire has been hit by floods again this season, but because they were hit in 2007, a number of growers planted wheat this year, which harvests earlier,” he said.
Speaking for the British Herb Trade Association, Tim Mudge said UK herb production is likely to be affected by the inclement weather hindering major lines such as basil and coriander.
Salad production has also been affected by the extremely wet conditions and Stuart Piccaver, managing director and commercial director at JE Piccaver & Co (Gedney Marsh) said the last month has been difficult nationwide. “Growers were under high mildew pressure two weeks ago but now they are seeing product breakdown due to waterlogging, varnish rot and other bacterial infection,” he said. He added that his firm was among “the most fortunate” being based in Lincolnshire, while growers in Lancashire and the Midlands as well as the north-east of England were worse affected.
Coarse frisée production has gone short because of the situation and lines such as iceberg, romaine lettuce and red oakleaf, for example are under severe threat of mildew, while varnish rot attacks open-head types such as Batavia.
“There is some importing going on and we can tell a wide range of British growers are affected because of the requests for product we are getting from across the UK,” said Piccaver.
On Wednesday, the Environment Agency had issued 13 flood warnings and 30 flood watches in Wales and in the north-east, south-west, Thames, Anglian and Midlands areas of England.
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