The traditional British Christmas dinner could be missing one of its key ingredients after leading figures from the fresh produce industry expressed concerns that the winter crop of brussels sprouts could be severely hit this season.
“The sprout season will be very hard for growers because of the way the crop has grown in the damp conditions; the sprout yield looks massively down on last year so it’s imperative UK packers start to communicate with supermarkets on what the next steps are,” said Mathew Rawson, chairman of the Brassica Growers’ Association.
Greville Richards, MD of Cornwall-based Southern England Farms, shares Rawson’s concerns for sprouts ahead of the festive season.
He said: “Brussels prouts are down around 15 per cent for growers in Evesham, with Lincolnshire and Scotland down as much as 40 per cent.
“Supermarkets will have to supplement a programme abroad in order to fully stock sprouts in time for Christmas.”
Brassica production is down across the board with the rain continuing to affect key regions such as Scotland, Lincolnshire, Lancashire and Cornwall. One grower admitted: “Foliar diseases can now be easily found which represents a real risk to crop quality if unsettled conditions continue.
"There is little product around so it needs to be managed very, very carefully. The retailers have a real duty to look after the industry at the moment as crazy promotions will kill it.”
Richards added: “We are down 30 per cent across the board on brassica production and winter cabbage crops like Savoys could be in very short supply on the shelves this winter. The Spanish broccoli season starts in around three months time and that should help ease the load.”
Rawson has praised growers for getting the most out of their crops and is confident they can meet targets. “It has been a rotation of feast and famine across the board; all we now need is a consistency to the recent sun in order to help us fulfill schedules,” he explained.
Tim Pratt, Tesco’s lead technical manager for vegetables, has pledged to support growers intelligently. “We are working closely with our supply base to help support their businesses and maintain products on the shelf for our customers,” he said.
“We are exploring all avenues to maintain a constant supply from crop utilisation through to strategic trade planning to ensure they offer continuity.”
