UK shoppers may face empty supermarket shelves soon as a growers’ association has issued an ominous warning while the conflict in Iran continues to rage. The rising cost of transportation and energy due to the ongoing war in Iran may force the producers to stop the producton of fruit and vegetables, they have warned.
According to the association members, the situation may see several supermarkets in the UK running with empty shelves. Lea Valley Growers Association (LVGA) secretary Lee Stiles said that supermarket shelves may be empty if nothing is done to support the industry.
He said: « Growers are in the same position now as they were when Russia invaded Ukraine, because the wholesale gas prices are creeping up. With rising costs, many growers are thinking they might as well send the staff home, stop for the season and not produce anything.
« They’re going to have to make a decision in the next few weeks as to whether or not it’s going to be economic to continue for the rest of the year. »
The Lea Valley Growers Association (LVGA) represents the UK’s biggest cluster of glasshouse growers, producing the majority of Britain’s cucumbers along with sweet peppers, aubergines and tomatoes, grown across hundreds of hectares of glasshouses.
Glasshouse crops depend on controlled temperatures and humidity; if growers cannot afford to turn boilers on and heat the glasshouses, internal temperatures will fall and plant development will slow or stop, leading to reduced yields, crop loss and potential gaps in the fresh salad supply chain.
Mr Stiles added: « Back in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, we ended up with empty shelves in the supermarkets. The supermarkets agreed a fixed price with growers last year. They can intervene now if they wish and agree to pay more for the produce because of the increased cost of production. But it looks as though they’re prepared to have empty shelves again and reduced availability. »
Rachael Williams from the West Sussex Growers Association (WSGA), expressed worry and said: « I have touched base with our growers and everybody’s obviously worried. They are worried about what will happen, how it will develop, and the uncertainty of it all.
« It’s four-fold really. It’s the rise in transportation costs, input costs, supply chain disruption, and then, of course, from the energy perspective heating the glasshouses.
« On the transport cost, red diesel has gone up by more than 50% in just 10 days, that’s huge for open field growers using tractors too. »
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