The UK vegetable industry continues to take a battering and growers in Lincolnshire are heading towards a mid-June meltdown as rain is largely alluding producers.
Some 20mm of rain in the last seven days has done little to ease the pressure on East Midlands brassica crops, which could culminate in slowing supplies in June.
A range of vegetable crops have been affected by the dry weather, which began in February, with cauliflower, peas and broccoli the worst hit.
Brussels sprouts are facing a tough year as plants must be transplanted into the fields by the end of May. Due to the lack of moisture in the soil, a lot of growers are holding off and waiting for rain before they set them. As a result, there could be gaps in harvesting programmes later on in the year.
Vining peas in many areas have been lost and remaining crops are critical while pigeons and rooks are attacking the crops.
But growers believe the situation will not impinge on UK vegetables’ shelf space share as production issues in the Netherlands and France hamper supplies from Europe.
Phillip Effingham, chairman of the Brassica Growers’ Association, said: “The rain last week will keep things going until the middle of June but after that it will be a real problem. There’s production and then there’s demand and usually during the summer demand will fall away anyway but come September there could be a real problem.”
NFU horticultural adviser Chris Hartfield added: “Fundamentally, it is a quite unusual drought that we are experiencing and it’s hard hitting because it follows a very harsh winter.
He added: “The reality is that growers have to factor in weather risks and the elephant in the room is the support within the supply chain to accommodate that risk. When the risks turn into problems - be that weather or pests and disease - you have to be getting the returns to be able to cope with it. If growers are not getting the returns to re-invest they may decide to grow wheat instead.”
NFU horticulture board chair Sarah Pettitt said many crops were facing crisis: “The problems following the lack of rain just seem to keep stacking up. While the crops haven’t grown, the lack of moisture doesn’t stop the weeds growing. With limited herbicides available growers are having to resort to mechanical or hand-weeding, which is adding significantly to grower workloads and costs.
“During the winter, the extreme low temperatures couldn’t have come at a worse time. Now these dry conditions couldn’t have come at a worse time. Many growers of winter vegetables and herbs are still feeling the impacts of the harsh winter weather."
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