UK vegetable supply under scanner as growers face 'mountain of challenges'

UK farmers are struggling to produce the nation’s supply of vegetables, a farming body has warned recently, citing 'mountain of challenges' including inflation and extreme weather events.

Despite a favourable start to the 2022 season, the British Growers has warned that farmers are struggling to produce the nation’s supply of vegetables.

In an internal report, British Growers Association has highlighted the true costs of production for broccoli and carrots, stating that recent inflationary cost increases have raised production costs to unprecedented levels.

In April the average rate of inflation for agricultural inputs hit 28 percent driven by massive increases in fuel, energy, labour and fertiliser – all essential elements of vegetable production.

And in recent weeks, the challenges facing growers have been compounded by the effects of drought and record temperatures, the report said, with many key growing areas recording minimal rainfall since the start of June.

British Growers warned that the lack of rain was not only affecting crops planted in the spring, but crops which were being planted now for harvest during the winter.

Brassica growers have already been reporting plans to cut back production by as much as 20 percent, and this coupled with the anticipated losses due to the ongoing drought could leave UK veg supplies in a deficit situation into the autumn and winter.

Moreover, possible restrictions on water usage could make an already difficult situation even worse, the association warned.

Jack Ward, CEO of British Growers, said that in many instances, the retail price of vegetables is lower than it was 5 years ago despite five years of cost increases.

"In the last 12 months we have seen cost increases at retail of over 20 percent in other sectors (such as dairy and butter) yet the inflation in chilled veg is at 6.3 percent.

"[This] means that growers and retailers are between them absorbing some of the extra production costs in an already fragile sector, a situation that cannot continue."

Ward said this lack of return was draining confidence out of the industry at a time when the UK needed to be investing in vegetable production.

Calling on the urgent need to reset the ways vegetable growers are awarded, Ward warned that growers may turn to lower risk options such as growing other less risky crops like wheat, sugar beet, energy crops or even converting more land to solar farms, which was already starting to happen.