The British Brussels sprout offer will be a victim of excellent production conditions this season.
Roger Welberry of the British Sprout Growers’ Association told freshinfo: “The planted area of sprouts this year is about the same as last year. We have more yield than last year though, and there will be a lot more sprouts this season, but for less money.”
Growing conditions in 2008 through the summer and autumn have been so much better than in 2007, that brassicas in general are in very good-quality, ample supply.
Welberry said: “Last year, we had all the floods and we lost a lot of acreage to water. This year, we have not had that problem, nor was it too hot in the summer either. All brassicas have done well - it has been a Garden of Eden out there. But we have got to accept low money and growers are just not getting any margin. It is a terrible thing when you need a natural disaster to make any money from a crop.”
The abundant supply is also costing growers more to bring to market in terms of increased cost of fuel, labour, fertilisers and pesticides. Welberry forecasts that the result could be a dramatic acreage drop next season. He said: “I don’t know how people will carry on, as there is no margin for profit at all.”
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