As UK vegetable growers are starting to recover from the frosty winter, producers across Europe are still feeling the effects of erratic conditions.
A grower based in north Spain told freshinfo he lost two cauliflower fields in the past month due to adverse weather conditions, which at one point jumped from 15°C to -7°C in just 12 hours. The French climate has also caused problems in recent weeks; reports suggest temperatures plummeted as low as -12°C in Lyon and -5°C in the South of France. The country’s winter lettuce crop is down by around five per cent.
“France shouldn’t have that amount of frost - it’s a very mild climate, but they’ve actually had colder weather than we have had in Lincolnshire,” said Peter Davis of vegetable importer, Davis Louth.
“We are getting the weather that Europe should be getting. We will be short of everything over the next three months and this means we are letting everyone down,” Davis said.
The long-term outlook for many growers looks bleak. “The problem is the north Atlantic drift - it means the easterly winds are moving into England, more than they have done in the past. The westerly winds are switching off, and the Gulf stream lost 30 per cent in the last three years.” Davis said.
One Spanish grower said: “It’s not just us. We have grown trial shipments in Algeria and even they are telling us to prepare for the worst as they too have had colds nights and frosts. Something is going very wrong with our weather and as a grower, I am very worried about the future here.”
Growers in the East of England may not be out of the woods yet either. The latest Met Office forecasts predict more freezing temperatures. This week has seen the mild weather with westerly winds giving way to easterlies, and a colder outlook. Night-time frosts and daytime temperatures of no more than 3°C or 4°C have hit some areas.
Despite reports of variable quality, Almería seems to have escaped the freeze. Courgette growers in Las Norias safeguarded against any potential chill with thermal coverings and heating systems.
The Spanish embassy said that happily, the region’s climate was stable. “Whilst it rained on a few days last week the rain has not affected crops at all. The weather is normal for the time of year; mostly sunny days with minimum temperatures from 8°C to 12°C and maximum temperatures between 13°C and 17°C,” said a source.
See this week's FPJ for an in-depth look at the vegetable scene in category quarter - vegetables
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