A major commercial port and several growers have been hit by 'St Jude's Storm', which hit the UK this morning and has already caused two deaths.
Growers in the south of the country have been the most affected, with one grower being kept up all night worrying about his crops, but the majority of producers in the Midlands, North East and Wales said the weather had not reached or harmed their crops.
And Felixstowe port closed from 2am due to high winds “exceeding its operational limits”.
John Moore, a spokesman for Felixstowe’s commercial department, said they expect the forecast to be better this afternoon, and that the port will be able to re-open when winds drop below 45mph.
Moore said drivers with a VBS (vehicle booking system) booking are delayed under a ‘weather-affected period’ notice. These drivers are able to roll bookings forward, while any fresh bookings will be delayed until these drivers have been dealt with.
Moore said: “Some freighters would have taken shelter anyway.”
Richard Smedley, owner of Devon apple grower Four Elms said he expects to have lost under 10 per cent of his Braeburn crop, primarily from whole trees falling over rather than fruit blowing off. He blamed the poor quality stakes that snapped in high winds allowing young trees to topple over.
Smedley said he “didn’t sleep well” for worrying about the unpicked Braeburn crop, but that it did not look too bad upon inspection. “I wouldn’t say 'no damage', but it’s not as bad as it could have been. We’ve certainly had a lot worse,” he said.
He added: “We are frantically trying to make space for the Braeburn crop in our stores, as they are currently full of Cox and Russet. We tried to pick some Braeburn on Saturday but you can’t do it all in one day.”
Guy Watson, of Totnes-based organic grower Riverford, said: “We have pretty much written off the borlotti bean crop and it will be a little while before we can grow any carrots again.”
Watson said his leeks have also been affected. “It’s pretty miserable but we’ve had plenty of gales before.”
Kent-based apple grower James Smith said he had lost 'a bit of fruit' from some of his Braeburn trees, but that in general the orchards are intact. “We don’t appear to have lost too much fruit, but most orchards have been fairly well picked. The winds have eased off a bit now,” he said.
Robert Lockhart, who farms more than 100 acres in Staffordshire, and grows potatoes for McCain’s, believes the weather could have serious implications for his crop.
He told the FPJ: “We had 17mm of rain overnight, and it’s stopped us digging. It’s a shame, as we were going well yesterday.
“It could now take a week to get back out on some of the heavier ground, and three days on the lighter ground, so it’s a real setback. The weather was really good earlier this month, but we were told to hold on before digging.
'And now the clocks have gone back, and the days are getting shorter, it means we will have to harvest in mid-November if the weather dries up, and if not, we’re looking at the end of November. Some of the big growers around here have got a lot left to get out of the ground, so it’s concerning.'
He added: “It’s all very reminiscent of last year, the only contrast being that there is actually a crop to pick this year.”
But Guy Poskitt, who grows carrots and other fresh produce in Kellington, East Yorkshire, said the impact had been minimal in the North-East.
He said: “The weather has been all a load of hype really, and we’ve had no problems at all. It’s been a bit rainy, but no more so than it was last week.”
Ali Capper, a Worcestershire-based grower who sits on the NFU’s horticultural board, told the FPJ that the weather had not had much of an impact on the 100 acres of apples at the Stocks Farm business she runs with her husband, Richard.
And a spokesperson for NFU Wales, said: “This bad weather has only been with us for a couple of days, so we’re not sure how much of an impact it will have and how bad the weather has been with those growers.”
Despite the trouble at Felixstowe, Bristol and Tilbury ports said they had experienced no disruption at all, and are open as usual.
Orwell Bridge on the A14, near Ipswich, though, is closed due to high winds. A diversion route goes via the A1156, A1189 and A1214 through Ipswich.
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