Vine House Farm in Deeping St Nicholas and Spalding Farm Shop are not suffering from shortages of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers - but South Holland farming leaders warn of that UK has lost its food resilience
Farm shops are having no problems sourcing fruit and vegetables - as industry leaders warn that the country has lost its ‘food resilience’.
Full shelves can be found in Vine House Farm Shop and Cafe in Deeping St Nicholas and Surfleet’s Spalding Farm Shop while supermarkets have been struggling to get hold of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
But the local branch of the National Farmers’ Union says that some local growers have reduced production by about 30% and feels the government needs to take this seriously.
Vine House general manager Amy Wood said they have not been affected by the egg or veg shortage because its supply chains are shorter.
Along with its own produce, the store buys from local growers, Spalding Auction and a town wholesaler.
Amy said: “We would encourage people to shop locally and buy directly from a farm shop or local supplier.
“By supporting smaller businesses and keeping supply chains shorter we are keeping the economy going.
“The other issue is that we have lost touch as consumers with seasonality.”
Produce such as peppers and tomatoes are not currently growing in the UK but there is plenty of broccoli, cabbage and kale.
Amy said: “We have got to think about what we could be using at the moment.
“We are putting on top of our salads grated fresh butternut squash which has been stored since the autumn. Or you could use grated carrot or shredded cabbage.”
Spalding Farm Shop has also got full shelves - but owner Jason Smith has warned that this produce does come at a price.
Mr Smith, who appreciates the dilemmas faced by tight household budgets, said: “We have everything. I can buy everything I possibly want.
“There is a vast amount of tomatoes and peppers available but is about price.
“I can buy cucumbers by the pallet load but it will cost me £1 per cucumber because they are coming from Spain.
“(As a country) we have killed English growers because we won’t pay the price.”
Potatoes are another crop facing shortages - but grower Andrew Branton says it is not simply a result of last year’s drought. He explained: “We don’t produce as many - and that is true - but the real reason why there are shortages is because people are fed-up with earning no money out of their crops and continue to give up.
“Supermarkets have squeezed and squeezed out all the vegetable produces. They have not left enough money for the producer to want to do any more. There is not enough profit in it.”
Mr Branton farms 5,500 acres in the Crowland and Deeping St Nicholas area and produces 15,000 tonnes of potatoes - which he sells for processing.
With production cost rising sharply, processors accept 98% of the crop while supermarkets could refuse up to 30% due to appearance - and not compensate the farmer for that.
Mr Branton said: “There is no headroom or breathing space for the grower.”
County Adviser for Holland branch of the NFU Jo Musson said growers are reducing the amount they grow by up to 30% but some are not able to achieve a price increase despite rising costs. She said: “We are repeatedly seeing a predictable combination of factors such as energy costs and weather leading to empty supermarket shelves.
“Our UK food resilience is currently gone. The Government needs to take this seriously.”
Hydroponics could help secure our food supply
A South Holland grower could be helping to futureproof our food supply with a hydroponics unit.
Stuart Piccaver’s company JEPCO received planning permission for a hydroponics unit in Gedney Drove End last year.
After frequent hail storms had wiped out hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of salad leaf crops, the firm decided to create a more secure growing environment to protect crops - along with reducing food miles
Construction work is scheduled to start on the project later this year and hydroponic units like this could elongate the usual salad leaf growing season, which runs from May to October.
Mr Piccaver said that tomato and cucumber growers are feeling the cost of rising energy costs to power their green houses - but the JPECO hydroponics unit will have its own energy supply.
Mr Piccaver said: “We have designed our project as we have to interlink energy and place ourselves outside of the energy markets.
“It was mainly about producing food in carbon neutral way but now it makes it sustainable.”
The new system would operate on a closed loop system.
The seed would be placed in a substraight and then moved around the greenhouse before exiting into the packing area – without the need for excess washing or bug damage.
The new system would not need large harvesting teams at a time when labour is also in short supply for the industry.
Mr Piccaver said: “The other thing we are talking about on this project is how much can it be adapted.
“It could quite easily produce tomatoes.”
He said the closed loop system could provide a sustainable production of food for the country in a controlled climate rather than the harsh weather conditions we have seen.
Farmers need help from Government with energy bills
An independent report into the impact of inflation on horticultue, commissioned by the NFU, found that between March and October last year production costs shot up to 27%.
And for some producers energy costs rose by 165%.
County Adviser for the Holland branch of the NFU Jo Musson stated: “Not many producers have been able to pass the increased costs of production to retailers since the spring of 2022.
“In some cases, no increase has been achieved at all. Often, as soon as a price increase is agreed - costs continue to soar and the situation only gets worse again.
“The impact of rising costs has driven growers to make business decisions that have seen, and will continue to see in 2023, a fall in domestic production.
“Growers must have the confidence they need, working within a fair and transparent supply chain, ensuring fair and sustainable returns so they can do what they do best; produce nutritious, high quality British food to meet demand from shoppers. The NFU is asking the government to act now to help secure a robust supply of homegrown food for everyone now and future generations.”
The public can support the campaign on the NFU's website.
