Christmas dinner fears as shoppers warned to expect empty shelves after supply issues

Empty fruit and vegetable shelves in a supermarket in February this year

Shoppers have been warned to expect empty shelves in the supermarkets this Christmas as farmers battle with one of the toughest harvests on record.

Broccoli and cauliflower have been badly affected by heavy rainfall and supply issues, experts say, but sprouts and parsnips are expected to recover by December 25. Potato crops are on track to hit a record low of 4.1million tonnes, with retailers forced to supplement supplies from cold storage.

It follows unprecedented levels of rain after Storms Agnes, Babet and Ciarán battered Britain in recent weeks. The heavy rainfall has affected annual harvests, sparking fears for Christmas dinners.

Fred Searle, editor of Fresh Produce Journal, said: “We’re set for the lowest potato crop recorded in recent times at just 4.1 million tonnes. The British potato harvest has been hit hard by heavy rain and flooding in recent weeks, causing delayed lifting and large crop losses.

“This was preceded by a cold, wet spring and a cool summer with low light levels. With the potatoes that are in store there’s likely to be enough supply to meet demand for the time being, but that might not be the case in the months ahead.”

Lincolnshire grower, Martin Tate, who manages 18,000 acres in the county, said: “There won’t be enough broccoli to supply the Christmas dinner demand. There is a nationwide shortage of broccoli, in fact, there’s a European wide shortage.

“The whole of northern Europe, including Germany, has been experiencing the same wet conditions as us, as have Poland and Holland. Imports from Spain have been hit by an exceptionally dry summer/ Cauliflower is still a problem, and you can expect to see empty trays over the next few weeks but may return to normal before Christmas. After some initial issues brussels sprouts supplies look like they will be okay.”

Earlier this month, T.H. Clements, one of the country’s largest suppliers of brussels sprouts with 11,000 acres in Lincolnshire and 1,000 in Cornwall, warned that sprouts would be smaller this year than average. CEO Chris Gedney told BBC ’s Farming Today: “Brussels sprouts are likely to be smaller this year as the larger ones tend to fall in the water and rot.”

However, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said retailers will have enough supplies for families this Christmas. Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, said: “High rainfall has created challenging conditions for farmers in the UK, however, food retailers are adept at managing disruption and have all the vegetables, potatoes and other festive foods households need for a great Christmas.”