UK
NFU warns current fruit and vegetable shortages could be ‘tip of the iceberg’Lucas Cumiskey
Sat, 25 February 2023
Empty fruit and vegetable shelves at an Asda in east London (PA) (PA Wire)
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has warned that shortages of some fruit and vegetables in UK supermarkets could be “the tip of the iceberg”.
NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw said a reliance on imports has left the UK vulnerable to “shock weather events”.
Soaring energy bills exacerbated by the war in Ukraine have also put off some UK vegetable growers, he added.
He said the UK has now “hit a tipping point” and needs to “take command of the food we produce” amid “volatility around the world” caused by the war in Europe and climate change.
It comes as the shortage of tomatoes in UK supermarkets has widened to other fruit and vegetables due to a combination of bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe.
Mr Bradshaw told Times Radio on Saturday: “We’ve been warning about this moment for the past year.
“The tragic events in Ukraine have driven inflation, particularly energy inflation to levels that we haven’t seen before.
“There’s a lack of confidence from the growers that they’re going to get the returns that justify planting their glasshouses, and at the moment we’ve got a lot of glasshouses that would be growing the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, aubergine that are sitting there empty because they simply couldn’t take the risk to plant them with the crops, not thinking they’d get the returns from the marketplace.
“And with them being completely reliant on imports – we’d always have some imports – but we’ve been completely reliant on imports (now). And when there’s been some shock weather events in Morocco and Spain, it’s meant that we’ve had these shortages.
“It’s really interesting that before Brexit we didn’t used to source anything, or very little, from Morocco but we’ve been forced to go further afield and now these climatic shocks becoming more prevalent have had a real impact on the food available on our shelves today.”
On Wednesday, Tesco followed Aldi, Asda and Morrisons in introducing customer limits on certain fresh produce as shortages left supermarket shelves bare.
Tesco and Aldi are limiting customers to three units of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers as a precautionary measure, while Asda is also limiting customers on lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries, and Morrisons has set a limit of two items per customer across tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers.
Retailers believe the problems stem from poor yields on the continent and north Africa, and that supplies will improve in the coming days or weeks.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said on Thursday that British consumers should eat more turnips instead of imported food.
Growers have also warned that a leek shortage will see British-grown supplies exhausted by April, with high temperatures and a lack of rain, followed by a period of cold weather, blamed for creating the “most difficult season ever”.
Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association (BGA), has reportedly said supermarkets could also experience shortages of carrots, cabbage and cauliflower within weeks.
The BGA has also warned that the future of British apple and pear-growing is “on a knife edge”.
A BGA survey of British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL) members, which represent an estimated 80% of the industry in the UK, found 150,000 orders for new apple and pear trees – a third of the planned 480,000 – have been cancelled this season.
BAPL executive chair Ali Capper said: “The key reason for the lack of investment is supermarket returns that are unsustainable.”
Fact check: Is Brexit to blame for Britain's fruit and vegetable shortages?
Sophia Khatsenkova
A customer checks almost empty fruit and vegetable shelves at an Asda in east London, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. - Yui Mok/AP
Where does Brexit come into all this?
Contrary to some of the reaction on social media, Brexit has a minimal role to play in the immediate shortage, according to experts.
For example, the British Growers Association says one of the big issues arising from Brexit for the fresh produce sector - attracting workers from EU countries - has been mitigated by the Seasonal Workers Permit Scheme.
“It is more about being able to get back the investment the growers need to make in planting crops and that's where the system has fallen down rather than Brexit,” he added.
The location of the UK and its isolation from mainland Europe, however, has played a significant part and is the differentiator from the situation in EU countries without shortages of fruit and vegetables.
Brexit was meant to lead to a VAT cut on energy bills. So why are they about to rise by 54%?
British pig farmers 'fear ruin' over Brexit and the rise of veganism
“It is less costly for a supplier to supply to the Netherlands and other countries in the northern part, because they don't have these 25 miles of the English Channel to negotiate because that adds a cost,” said Chris White of Fruit Net.
Navigating extra Brexit-imposed cost and bureaucracy of getting the fresh fruit and vegetables across the Channel is clearly proving too costly for some producers, which is why tomatoes are reaching supermarkets in France, Belgium or the Netherlands but not Britain.
And according to media reports Irish supermarkets have also reported depleted stocks of tomatoes and fresh produce, just like in the UK - but while geography (and related costs) will be a factor there, Brexit won't be.
A ''Max 3 units'' sign is attached to empty fruit and vegetable shelves at an Asda in east London, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. - Yui Mok/AP
When will the shelves fill up again?
According to the growers and experts we spoke to, the situation might take a couple more weeks to resolve depending on various factors.
“It depends on how badly the crops have been affected. Bad weather at the wrong time can be pretty disastrous,” Ward added.
The end of winter will see an increase in the harvest of seasonal fresh produce, which shall ultimately see a return to normality, experts that spoke to Euronews agreed.
Sophia Khatsenkova
Euronews
Fri, 24 February 2023
Tomatoes are temporarily out of stock in some British supermarkets this week, with empty shelves where there should be a colourful vegetable section.
It's been this way for several days now, as some major UK supermarkets haven't been able to buy enough fresh vegetables, particularly tomatoes - forcing several big chains to introduce limits.
Asda, Britain’s third largest grocer, was quick to respond with a cap of three packs per customer on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and raspberries citing disrupted harvests in Spain and Morocco due to deteriorated weather conditions.
Food shortages: The perfect storm that led to UK supermarkets rationing fruit and vegetables
These foods could soon be in short supply due to the war in Ukraine
Morrisons, another leading British supermarket chain, set the limit to two items per person from 22 February.
On 23 February, the UK's Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told MPs that the shortages were caused by "very unusual weather" and urged a more seasonal approach to eating that embraces local harvests like turnips.
However, images posted by social media users from Spain and Morocco showed shelves stacked full of tomatoes and fresh vegetables, prompting people to link it to Britain’s post-Brexit trade woes.
At The Cube we decided to take a closer look and fact check the claims.
Is weather to blame for fruit and vegetable shortages?
Unusual weather is primarily to be blamed for the short supply, according to Andrew Opie, director of the British Retail Consortium which represents all the major supermarkets, including Tesco, whose fresh produce shelves were among those looking empty this week.
However, Jack Ward, CEO of the British Growers Association, told us that the shortage has its roots in increased energy costs.
“Last autumn, there were numerous conversations within the industry about the rising costs of production with higher energy prices and input costs. Growers took the view here in the UK and other parts of northern Europe that unless they could be guaranteed a reasonable return, they wouldn't plant the crops,” he added.
The “gamble” to compensate for the shortfall left by the lack of planting has not paid off, according to Ward.
“We've gone to places like Spain and Morocco where there's a more ready supply of sunshine at this time of year and production costs are cheaper. But there was never any way that was going to make up all of the production that we've lost,” Ward said.
According to the British Embassy in Morocco, about 25% of the UK's tomatoes come from the North African nation, while a further 20% come from Spain - making those two countries the UK's biggest sources of tomatoes.
The situation was aggravated by diminished tomato production in greenhouses of big producer countries like the Netherlands, primarily due to high energy costs, experts said.
Fri, 24 February 2023
Tomatoes are temporarily out of stock in some British supermarkets this week, with empty shelves where there should be a colourful vegetable section.
It's been this way for several days now, as some major UK supermarkets haven't been able to buy enough fresh vegetables, particularly tomatoes - forcing several big chains to introduce limits.
Asda, Britain’s third largest grocer, was quick to respond with a cap of three packs per customer on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and raspberries citing disrupted harvests in Spain and Morocco due to deteriorated weather conditions.
Food shortages: The perfect storm that led to UK supermarkets rationing fruit and vegetables
These foods could soon be in short supply due to the war in Ukraine
Morrisons, another leading British supermarket chain, set the limit to two items per person from 22 February.
On 23 February, the UK's Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told MPs that the shortages were caused by "very unusual weather" and urged a more seasonal approach to eating that embraces local harvests like turnips.
However, images posted by social media users from Spain and Morocco showed shelves stacked full of tomatoes and fresh vegetables, prompting people to link it to Britain’s post-Brexit trade woes.
At The Cube we decided to take a closer look and fact check the claims.
Is weather to blame for fruit and vegetable shortages?
Unusual weather is primarily to be blamed for the short supply, according to Andrew Opie, director of the British Retail Consortium which represents all the major supermarkets, including Tesco, whose fresh produce shelves were among those looking empty this week.
However, Jack Ward, CEO of the British Growers Association, told us that the shortage has its roots in increased energy costs.
“Last autumn, there were numerous conversations within the industry about the rising costs of production with higher energy prices and input costs. Growers took the view here in the UK and other parts of northern Europe that unless they could be guaranteed a reasonable return, they wouldn't plant the crops,” he added.
The “gamble” to compensate for the shortfall left by the lack of planting has not paid off, according to Ward.
“We've gone to places like Spain and Morocco where there's a more ready supply of sunshine at this time of year and production costs are cheaper. But there was never any way that was going to make up all of the production that we've lost,” Ward said.
According to the British Embassy in Morocco, about 25% of the UK's tomatoes come from the North African nation, while a further 20% come from Spain - making those two countries the UK's biggest sources of tomatoes.
The situation was aggravated by diminished tomato production in greenhouses of big producer countries like the Netherlands, primarily due to high energy costs, experts said.
A customer checks almost empty fruit and vegetable shelves at an Asda in east London, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. - Yui Mok/AP
Where does Brexit come into all this?
Contrary to some of the reaction on social media, Brexit has a minimal role to play in the immediate shortage, according to experts.
For example, the British Growers Association says one of the big issues arising from Brexit for the fresh produce sector - attracting workers from EU countries - has been mitigated by the Seasonal Workers Permit Scheme.
“It is more about being able to get back the investment the growers need to make in planting crops and that's where the system has fallen down rather than Brexit,” he added.
The location of the UK and its isolation from mainland Europe, however, has played a significant part and is the differentiator from the situation in EU countries without shortages of fruit and vegetables.
Brexit was meant to lead to a VAT cut on energy bills. So why are they about to rise by 54%?
British pig farmers 'fear ruin' over Brexit and the rise of veganism
“It is less costly for a supplier to supply to the Netherlands and other countries in the northern part, because they don't have these 25 miles of the English Channel to negotiate because that adds a cost,” said Chris White of Fruit Net.
Navigating extra Brexit-imposed cost and bureaucracy of getting the fresh fruit and vegetables across the Channel is clearly proving too costly for some producers, which is why tomatoes are reaching supermarkets in France, Belgium or the Netherlands but not Britain.
And according to media reports Irish supermarkets have also reported depleted stocks of tomatoes and fresh produce, just like in the UK - but while geography (and related costs) will be a factor there, Brexit won't be.
A ''Max 3 units'' sign is attached to empty fruit and vegetable shelves at an Asda in east London, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. - Yui Mok/AP
UK’s lessons from the empty shelves
In addition to the lack of action to help growers with high energy prices, experts believe the UK’s complex supply chains have equally contributed to the situation, showing room for improvement.
However, Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General of Copa-Cogeca, a European agricultural umbrella organisation, said “tipping the delicate balance of trade channel” should have been avoided.
“The main message to the UK would be that our food supplies are highly integrated, highly complex set of measures all across all operators, all regions, countries and even outside the Union,” Pesonen said. “Disturbing this delicate balance, even if it's a minor change to the supply routes and supply chains, it may have a significant impact through operators that opt for the easier way somewhere else.”
Ward, CEO of the British Growers Association, emphasised being more realistic about the security of supply chains and better measures to encourage domestic production.
“We've got to be more realistic about the costs involved in producing food and the prices for which food is sold. There's got to be a closer dialogue between growers and retailers to make sure that we don't find ourselves in these kinds of situations in the future,” Ward told us.
How breeding low-emissions sheep could bring down farming’s methane footprint
In addition to the lack of action to help growers with high energy prices, experts believe the UK’s complex supply chains have equally contributed to the situation, showing room for improvement.
However, Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General of Copa-Cogeca, a European agricultural umbrella organisation, said “tipping the delicate balance of trade channel” should have been avoided.
“The main message to the UK would be that our food supplies are highly integrated, highly complex set of measures all across all operators, all regions, countries and even outside the Union,” Pesonen said. “Disturbing this delicate balance, even if it's a minor change to the supply routes and supply chains, it may have a significant impact through operators that opt for the easier way somewhere else.”
Ward, CEO of the British Growers Association, emphasised being more realistic about the security of supply chains and better measures to encourage domestic production.
“We've got to be more realistic about the costs involved in producing food and the prices for which food is sold. There's got to be a closer dialogue between growers and retailers to make sure that we don't find ourselves in these kinds of situations in the future,” Ward told us.
How breeding low-emissions sheep could bring down farming’s methane footprint
When will the shelves fill up again?
According to the growers and experts we spoke to, the situation might take a couple more weeks to resolve depending on various factors.
“It depends on how badly the crops have been affected. Bad weather at the wrong time can be pretty disastrous,” Ward added.
The end of winter will see an increase in the harvest of seasonal fresh produce, which shall ultimately see a return to normality, experts that spoke to Euronews agreed.
No comments:
Post a Comment