Spring onion availability is tight as weather issues exacerbate the season handover.
Prices for spring onions on wholesale markets this week were running at €9 (710p) for 20 bunches of English-grown product in Dublin market and up to 620p for the same quantity on UK markets.
Meanwhile, Mexican supplies commanded up to 435p for 12 bunches in Liverpool.
Spring onion grower Matt Whiteman of Sandfield Farms in Warwickshire said climatic conditions are to blame. “There can often be a shortage at this time of year and it is not unusual to see product going short,” he said.
“But this year it was excessively wet during the drilling period in the first two weeks of July.”
Continuing rainfall throughout the summer, including one of the wettest Augusts on record, has further compounded the problem. Whiteman said: “There has been a lot of botrytis about in the last two weeks because it has been constantly wet. Everyone is just out there trying to chase the good crop.”
Suppliers are turning to imports but this is not proving straightforward. Whiteman said: “When it is tricky at this time of year we can bring in imports. Mexico is the main source at this point in the season, but they have had very hot weather out there and that is really affecting volumes.”
Although the autumnal weather in the UK has slowed uptake this week, following the rise in temperatures and some late summer sunshine at the weekend, availability problems are likely to continue for a few more weeks.
Whiteman said: “In about three weeks’ time, Egyptian spring onions will come on stream and we will start to see the situation improve. By the third week of October, the UK crop will be finished completely.”
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