The price of English Conference pears is on the floor and sales are proving inconsistent, as the sector attempts to reconcile huge availability from the continent with a large domestic crop.
The 30,000 tonne English Conference crop has been supplemented by a large crop in both the Netherlands and Belgium. Adrian Barlow of English Apples & Pears said: “With apples, there are discernible differences between Dutch and Belgian and English product, but that is not the case with pears.
“We match them for taste and quality, but we are not demonstrably better. So we are competing with a similar product with smaller volumes and the prices the Dutch and Belgians are able to offer their fruit at are extremely competitive this year. The UK is also feeling the backlash from their problems exporting to Russian markets.”
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