After battling through the second warmest year on record in 2007, UK growers warn that increased returns will be required to balance the risk of growing many crops in this country.
According to the Met Office, the average UK temperature in 2007 was 9.6°C, a level only previously topped in 2006.
Spring last year was the warmest since records began in 1914, and extremely dry, whereas summer temperatures were surprisingly close to average, despite the lack of a heatwave. It was also the second wettest summer with 357.1mm of rainfall, compared to 358.4mm in 1956. Across the year, there were also 18 days less frost than in an average year.
The Met Office’s John Hammond told FPJ: “Snow and frost are becoming less of a feature of winter, but winters are getting wetter. In the summer, although there might be lower rainfall levels overall, when it falls, it is more intense and less evenly distributed.” Worryingly for domestic growers, Met Office research suggests the move to earlier springs and the upward curve for average temperatures will continue over the coming decades. Milder autumns with later frosts are also more likely, heading towards the middle part of the century.
The impact of 2007’s weather on growers and their crops is still being felt. Six warm years on the trot are leaving many concerned for 2008. “A lot of sectors within horticulture are not prepared to take another year like last year,” said Richard Hirst, chair of the NFU’s horticulture board. “There are a lot of extremely lean businesses operating that have cut their costs right back, but they need everything else to go right. We are not doing as well as commentators make out; prices have increased, but our costs are going up too. All field scale vegetables are finding the going difficult; potatoes, root veg and brassicas. Growers need to have the returns for the increased risks involved.”
At potato supplier Solanum, commercial director Henry Brown is stoical. “It is part of our job to manage what nature puts in front of us,” he said. “We work very closely with our potato growers through our agronomists to reduce any impact on our business, and on our customers. A lot has been said about 2007, and it is true there was an impact on yield and greater incidence of greening and growth cracks.
“We have still got several more months of the 2007 crop to run, but so far prices are holding up pretty firm as a reflection of the reduced yields and grading out to meet customer specifications,” he added.
And although warmer temperatures may help top fruit and stonefruit growth to an extent, the lack of sunshine can cause real problems. “The spring last year was good for us as it allowed early pollination, but we struggled in the summer because of lack of sunshine,” said Steve Maxwell, of Worldwide Fruit. “The rain is fine, but we need more sun.”
