The last three winters have hit the brassica industry hard, with British cauliflower growers from Scotland to Cornwall all feeling the effects of product freezing in the field, small head sizes and general poor quality. And insiders indicate veg in general will see a “fairish” impact right through until June, with fresh British veg being “thin on the ground”.
“Frost damage has been serious in winter cropping, with Lincolnshire probably seeing the worst, Lancashire not far behind and even Cornwall feeling the cold as well,” says one grower. “There have been varying degrees in most places, but all in all, the weather has severely hit growers’ incomes and availability of product. All costs have stayed the same but there has been no income in some cases.”
Used to the odd frost, this year the UK has been subjected to sometimes up to seven-week periods of sub-zero temperatures up and down the country.
“December was desperate for the industry and the weather was a real shocker,” says one cauliflower grower and supplier to the major multiples. “Volumes were way down and growers were having to import from Spain, France and Italy during the English season. Importing during December would usually be unheard of.
“This is the third bad winter in a year where Cornwall hasn’t been able to rely on its mild temperatures. People in the industry are beginning to wonder if it is a sign of things to come or just something we’ll endure for a couple more years,” he continues.
“There is an ongoing decline of growing, in both companies and area, and that’s because the industry was originally built on mild winters. When we are importing to make up our commitments, it doesn’t seem worth it. Soon, growing winter cauliflower in the UK will be very questionable.”
The retail price of vegetables in general is up by 3.3 per cent, according to Kantar Worldpanel data, but growers are indicating that prices will have to increase even further to make up for losses this season and some claim that present price hikes haven’t even touched growers’ pockets.
“In January there was some good price inflation,” says one supplier. “It was a good supply and demand situation, if you had the quality. But product was small and expensive, and in some cases frozen. The right stuff was very valuable, but we are going to struggle to make our losses back; there just isn’t the fat to be trimmed anymore. We all realise that you’re going to lose crops, but yield has been right down.”
The reaction from retailers is the usual “mixed bag”, with some customers being better than others.
Tesco has been particularly supportive with a promotion on cauliflowers when the weather warmed up a little towards the end of January and managed to shift extra crop. Most retailers have been accepting smaller sizes and fewer volumes for greens.
“They’ve had to pay more,” says a source. “This winter, people have been accepting small cauliflowers and demand has been good.”
Retail prices have been high for cauliflowers in the multiples, but not quite as high as some importers are paying, according to some. As FPJ went to press, a large cauliflower went for £1.47 in Sainsbury’s, while Tesco and Asda were selling wholeheads of varying sizes for 97p. But word is that one importer has been buying in cauliflowers at £1.80 a head and accepting 60p a head payment from a multiple, in a clear case of what other sectors have dubbed ‘suicide selling’.
“Imports have been of a mixed nature and supply has been variable,” says one insider. “Consumers are feeling the pain from increased prices, but there is more to come because we haven’t got to a price where it is sustainable for production.
“We may be looking at cutbacks in veg production in the coming season; producers may be looking at alternative crops such as cereals, which are getting a higher price than ever and are less risky. I hope there will be a new found optimism for the new season though. But we will feel the impact of the bad winter weather right up until spring and retail prices and returns to growers will have to rise.”
WARTIME HERO DR CARROT COMES TO MODERN INDUSTRY’S RESCUE
The British Carrot Growers’ Association (BCGA) is going back to its roots by enlisting the help of a Ministry of Food-developed cartoon character, Dr Carrot, to get the next generation of consumers on side, while the carrot industry’s environmental credentials are being dangled in front of the adults. Elizabeth O’Keefe takes a look at what’s to come.
When times are hard, people naturally think back to how people coped at other times of austerity. Following a similar theme, the BCGA has taken a step back to go forward with the reintroduction of World War II cartoon character Dr Carrot.
Back then, the Ministry of Food developed the character Dr Carrot as part of an educational campaign to show people how to eat healthily during rationing. Fast forward to 2011, and we have celebrity doctor and presenter of Embarrassing Illnesses, Supersize Vs Superskinny, the BAFTA award-winning Embarrassing Bodies and The Ugly Face of Beauty, Dr Christian Jessen, who is keen to work against an obesity epidemic in Britain and get consumers eating their veg.
“Dr Carrot was a well loved character who promoted healthy eating messages to keep the nation fit during the dark days of war,” says Jessen. “I’m delighted to be reintroducing him on behalf of the British Carrot Growers’ Association. Together, we’ll get Britain healthy by revisiting Dr Carrot’s advice, which is as relevant in 2011 as it was in the 1940s.”
To accompany the new Dr Carrot campaign, Jessen has developed two family recipes, Carrot & Lemon Thyme Risotto and Bean & Carrot Patties, emphasising the value for money that a carrot offers the consumer, with a single carrot costing as little as 8p.
He has also provided some carrot health tips to feature on the BCGA’s website, www.britishcarrots.co.uk, where consumers can view grower profiles, production information and dieting tips. The celebrity doctor will also contribute to a downloadable children’s leaflet containing child-friendly recipes, puzzles, interesting carrot facts and the history of the carrot from its earliest known appearance in Afghanistan in the seventh century to the vital role it played in Britain’s war effort.
The Dr Carrot campaign is part of the BCGA’s 2011 PR programme, devised by Mustard Communications.
Other elements that will kick off later in the year include seasonal, recipe-based stories and working with the touring Captain Carrot Theatre Show, which visits more than 130 schools each year to promote carrots and share research findings that demonstrate further benefits to eating carrots.
Meanwhile, the BCGA initiative is once again highlighting the methods the British industry undertakes to continue supply through the winter months. “Strawed carrots”, as they are now known, are sown in April to early July, covered between September and December, and harvested between December and May, with imports then filling the gap until the harvest of new season carrots starts at the end of June.
“This is a very natural method of storage and allows the carrots to be harvested fresh every day throughout the winter,” says Martin Evans, chairman of the BCGA.
“The thick covering of straw also protected them against last year’s big freeze, whereas a lot of the other winter crops like Brussels sprouts were devastated by the weather.”
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