Seed import delays hit UK tomato industry

The British tomato industry is appealing to its UK retail customers and the government to help it mitigate problems caused by post-Brexit delays to tomato seed and young plant imports from Europe.

Border hold-ups, caused by lengthy post-Brexit phytosanitary testing protocols, are resulting in significant delays to sowing as well as plant delivery. This is having a serious economic impact on UK tomato businesses, the British Tomato Growers Association (BTGA) says.

BTGA says it urgently needs UK supermarkets to agree retail programmes and contracts for 2025 with British growers by the end of September 2024 to help them plan around these delays.

The association is also calling on Defra to reform the EU-UK plant import border process to minimise delays and make it more sustainable.

Changes to tomato seed and young plant import regulations following Britain’s exit from the EU are causing delivery delays of up to six weeks, which is making crop programming and planning extremely difficult, the BTGA says.

There is also growing concern that, due to the difficulties getting seed through British border controls, European seed and young plant suppliers will stop supplying the UK – especially in relation to smaller batches for variety trials.

BTGA says seed of European origin is already tested and certified as disease free before being dispatched to the UK. It is, therefore, urging the government to negotiate a plant health agreement that accepts EU test results for seed imports.

The association is also asking Defra to allow tomato growers to easily register their premises as a destination point for imports in order to bypass congested government border control posts (BCPs).

BTGA says it has flagged the issue with the NFU and Defra, and is forming a forum for all UK protected edible growers to join. This forum, which will include NFU representatives, will gather evidence to present to Defra of issues seen at BCPs.

“[European] seed breeders are increasingly saying that sending seed to the UK is unviable as the repeat testing required – the seed is already tested and certified in Holland – means a percentage of seed is always wasted for testing purposes and the costs are approximately £2 a seed, which soon mounts up,” says BTGA spokeswoman Nathalie Key.

“We are hearing some seed companies are saying because of the anticipated delays growers must put in orders before the end of August this year for next year’s crop.

“The issue with that is most of the growers do not agree programmes with their retail customers until much later in the year, so this clearly does not align and creates an impossible situation. This potential impact is the British plant raiser industry (already fairly small) will have to stop.”

She adds: “The other issue coming down the line to our members is for those who import the young plants for their tomato crops. This has not yet happened for tomato growers since the Border Control Points (BCPs) have come into action but looking at the stories coming out from the HTA and FPC regarding constant delays with plants at the border, this is another accident waiting to happen with fragile young plants entering these facilities that do not have climate control or biosecurity measures in place and can be held for an unspecified amount of time.”