A shortage of fruit and veg could last into May, according to growers in one of Britain’s biggest growing regions.
The Lea Valley Growers Association said major UK growers were delaying planting some crops due to high energy costs.
Major UK supermarkets have restricted fruit and veg sales following shortages.
The government and industry blame bad weather in Spain and North Africa for the bottleneck.
The Association has around 80 members in an area covering Greater London, Hertfordshire and Essex.
Growers there produce around three-quarters of the UK’s cucumber and pepper crop, as well as a large number of aubergines and tomatoes.
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The association said that while weather conditions in Spain and Morocco are the main reason for the current shortages, the situation is made worse by UK growers delaying this season’s planting.
They have been deterred by high energy costs for greenhouses and low prices that supermarkets offer for their produce.
Environment Minister Therese Coffey said on Thursday the shortages could last a month but UK growers believe it could be longer.
“Most tomatoes, peppers and eggplants won’t be available in bulk until May, so it will take more than a couple of weeks,” said Lee Stiles, secretary of the Lea Valley Growers Association (LVGA).
According to figures from the British Retail Consortium, the UK imports around 95% of its tomatoes during the winter months.
However, Mr Stiles said the association, which also imports products, only gets a quarter of the products it orders from Spain and Morocco.
“Some packhouses in Lea Valley have closed for a few days due to a lack of supplies, and others are losing workers because they have only been able to offer three-hour work a day instead of full shifts for the past few weeks,” he said.
“It’s too late for UK producers to step in and try to make up some of the deficit,” he added.
“If we were to plant tomatoes, peppers and aubergines in December, we would be picking now.
“And if we were to plant cucumbers the first week of January as usual, we would be picking on Valentine’s Day [14 February] as usual,” he added.
Mr Stiles said the prices supermarkets set for UK produce are making it difficult for growers to make a living, especially at a time of very high energy bills.
Many growers are planting less or have delayed planting, and 10% of members have left the sector altogether, he said.
“It’s a simple economic fact between the growers and the supermarkets,” he said.
“Half of our growers didn’t grow last year and half of our growers aren’t growing this year and that’s because they couldn’t get a higher price from the supermarkets to cover the increased costs of energy and fertilizers, and that they too needed to make a profit and be able to live off the produce grown.”
As Spanish and Moroccan production picks up again, growers in those countries will be more likely to sell to buyers closer to home, he added.
“A four-day trip to the UK has higher fuel costs and there are additional charges to get it across the border,” he said, adding that international growers are more likely to get a higher price for their goods in other countries .
“You can just get a better price for less effort in Europe,” he said. “The UK is such a small market for Spanish and Moroccan products. Who do they take care of first?”
Tony Montalbano runs his cucumber grower Green Acre Salads in Roydon in Essex and is a member of the Lea Valley Growers Association. He is a small breeder and started his business seven years ago.
Tony reduced his harvest this season and delayed planting due to high energy costs and prices being offered by UK customers.
“I typically do three harvests in a season that starts in January and then harvest around mid-February. I had to remove the first crop and start my second and third crops to try to cut costs during the winter. ” he said.
The prices UK producers are getting for their produce compared to Europe are unsustainable, he added.
“I looked at the prices I was going to get for my pickles and I was like, ‘I can’t see us doing it this year’.”
The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents supermarkets, said retailers are working hard to increase supply
“While the disruption is expected to last for a few weeks, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure customers have access to a wide range of fresh produce,” said Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the CRPD.
“Retailers have long developed relationships with farmers in the UK and beyond and they know they have to pay a sustainable price for these commodities,” he added.
“In the winter, retailers source much of their summer produce, such as tomatoes and lettuces, from countries like Spain and Morocco, where the good weather allows them to grow year-round without the added expense of heating greenhouses.
“This in turn enables supermarkets to offer their customers the best value for money in times of sharply increased living costs.”
Additional reporting by Tom Espiner
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