Morning:
8°c
Fears over food supplies as crops suffer
11 Jan 2010There were fears today about dwindling supplies of vegetables and higher prices in the shops as the big freeze hits the crop harvest.
Small business have warned stocks of produce such as potatoes, sprouts and cabbages have been running low as farmers struggle to get them out of the ground - pushing up prices as a result.
Stephen Alambritis, chief spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "Our members have had a run on vegetables and food, which they were pleased about because it brought them in some money - but the replacements have been thin on the ground.
"There is concern that farmers have not been able to bring the harvest in for such items as potatoes, sprouts and cabbages which reduces the amount available to stores - and pushes up prices.
"Supermarkets may be able to hold prices for now but small businesses will have to pass increases on to their customers, which is damaging for business."
He added: "Even the supermarkets may have to push up prices if this goes on until February."
The federation has 215,000 members, including 20% in the retail and food sectors.
Sarah Pettitt, a vegetable grower in Fishtoft, Lincolnshire, and chairman of the Horticulture and Potato Board of the National Farmers' Union, said the frozen ground was causing problems for producers everywhere.
"We are talking about cabbages, cauliflowers, spring greens, leeks," she said.
"Where we would use a harvester we are having to throw 100 people at a field to do the job by hand. Then we are having to thaw out the produce in storage.
"Farmers are having to be innovative and to use desperate measures to do the harvesting. Shortages are not imminent yet, but we do not know how long this is going to last."
Richard Dodd, spokesman for the British Retail Consortium, which represents the top 10 British food retailers, and thousands of smaller businesses, said: "This is still only a short spell of cold weather, and there is no evidence at all that retailers are having difficulties getting enough supplies not to meet normal levels of customer demand, or that this is going to last long enough to make any difference to shop prices of produce.
"There are much more significant factors affecting food prices such as the price of oil and exchange rates."
A spokesman for Defra said: "There are no reports of major problems with food supplies reaching retailers.
"Because the UK has a diverse supply of food from domestic and international suppliers we're not reliant on just one source of food, which helps maintain stability of supply as well as helping to keep prices stable."
Reader views (1)
Shortages are manna from Heaven for produce suppliers.
Prices soar and profits go up with them. I was able to buy my wif a a car on the proceeds of a shortage of white cabbage some years ago.
Some country somewhere will have a surplus of what is short in this country and importers will be laughing all the way to the bank.
- George, Cambridge, 13/01/2010 13:52
Report abuse
