Scottish garlic producer the Really Garlicky Company has been left “devastated” by white rot, which has wiped out half its crop.
The innovative company has been left with no home-grown garlic in a season which usually runs until December, said Heidi Irvine, marketing and sales manager.
However, in a bid to avoid disappointing its customers, the company is now sourcing garlic from the south of France and marketing it under a Really Garlicky Approved brand.
The home-grown crop was hit by a fungal disease called white rot, which arrived in seed from Canada. “The seed looked fine and there was nothing to suggest there was anything wrong, it was only when we harvested it we found we had a problem,” said Irvine. “Everyone here has been devastated, it’s been very difficult.”
The company recently started importing garlic from Patagonia from January to June, and Irvine said it has applied similar principles to bringing produce in from France to cover its unexpected gap.
“It’s been really well received and everyone’s quite pleased - otherwise we’d have no garlic.”
This year, the company was producing on 30 acres of land, but Irvine said the land infected by white rot would now be unusable for 20 years. “It’s a good job we’ve got a big farm,” she added.
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