<
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/01/uk-importing-vegetabless-drough-heat-hit-british-crops-price-rises>
"Pubs, restaurants and supermarkets are having to buy lettuce and broccoli from
Spain at what should be the height of UK growing season, as drought and extreme
heat hit crops.
The wholesale price of tomatoes is up by more than 60%, iceberg lettuce by 90%
and potatoes by more than 40% as a number of farmers struggle to grow in
consistently high temperatures. Even those with irrigation systems and
reservoirs on their farms say water is running low.
Broccoli growers say their yield has halved. “We are having to put two heads of
broccoli together to make the weight the pack is sold in,” said David Simmons
from Riviera Produce. He grows a variety of vegetables on his family’s farm in
Cornwall and is also on the board of the Brassica Growers’ Association, a trade
body.
“The UK is very short [of broccoli] at the moment, so it’s being imported from
Spain and Holland to try to cover the orders,” Simmons said. “Cauliflowers
could go short in the next couple of weeks, we can see that being the next
issue.”
The English pea harvest is down by a third, according to Stephen Francis from
Fen Peas, a group of 60 Lincolnshire farmers. Growers in Scotland, which
accounts for about a fifth of UK pea production, are thought to be expecting an
average harvest.
Growers are looking at different varieties, such as those used in southern
Europe and better suited to higher temperatures, said Francis, although farmers
will also need help to invest in more water storage to help them cope in
future.
Meanwhile, the bosses of Britain’s biggest supermarkets have written to Andy
Burnham to say wildfires and extreme weather pose a threat to Britain’s food
security. More than 100 organisations – including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose
and Aldi, as well as food manufacturers and wholesalers – called on the
government to make the food system a national priority and reduce reliance on
food imports.
A year of exceptionally hot and dry weather has also led to the earliest UK
cereals harvest in at least 20 years, according to the Agriculture and
Horticulture Development Board.
Across Europe, crops ranging from wheat and potatoes to tomatoes and olives are
being hit by drought, fires and extreme heat.
Tim O’Malley, the chair of Nationwide Produce, a wholesaler that supplies
restaurants and catering companies, said: “It is worse than the public realise.
We are running out of water.”"
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
