{"id":39234,"date":"2018-10-16T08:47:55","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T13:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=39234"},"modified":"2018-10-16T08:47:55","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T13:47:55","slug":"uk-growers-warn-of-shortages-of-onions-potatoes-and-other-vegetables-after-extreme-weather-decimates-crops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=39234","title":{"rendered":"UK growers warn of shortages of onions, potatoes and other vegetables after extreme weather decimates crops"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UK growers warn of shortages of onions, potatoes and other vegetables after extreme weather decimates crops<\/a><\/h3>\n

Onion crop down by half and potatoes down by a third after summer heatwave<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Vegetable yields have fallen by as much as 50 per cent in some parts of the UK, following a year of extreme weather<\/a> events.<\/p>\n

Farmers have warned of the likelihood of shortages of major crops including potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, parsnips, cabbages and Brussels sprouts, with consumers and retailers expected to see biggest impacts in the new year.<\/p>\n

The year began with the \u201cBeast from the East<\/a>\u201d, which brought freezing weather to the UK in February, followed by an unusually wet spring that delayed planting. Then a record-breaking summer heatwave<\/a> took its toll on growing\u00a0crops.<\/p>\n

British Growers Association chief executive Jack Ward said the conditions were \u201cabsolutely the antithesis of what a plant needs to grow properly\u201d, and said the industry was looking at an overall drop in yields of about 20 per cent.<\/p>\n

But among certain producers the crop shortfall is much worse.<\/p>\n

James Pearson, of Suffolk Produce, which grows about 10 per cent of the UK\u2019s onions, and is also a major supplier of potatoes, carrots and parsnips, told The Independent<\/em> their farms have seen yields fall by 50 per cent for onions, and by 20-30 per cent for potatoes.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThe weather being so hot this summer\u00a0has also caused a number of quality issues. So there are increased levels of bacteria.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen crops were coming in\u00a0we stuck a temperature probe into them\u00a0and some were reading 40C.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThe stress this has put on the crops has not really been seen before and nobody really knows how well things are going to store.\u201d<\/p>\n