The association said that while weather conditions in Spain and Morocco are the main reason behind the current shortages, the situation is being made worse by UK producers delaying planting crops this season.
"The majority of tomatoes, peppers and aubergines are not going to be around in big volumes until May, so it's going to be longer than a few weeks," said Lee Stiles, secretary of the LVGA. "Some Lea Valley pack houses have closed for a few days due to lack of deliveries, and others are losing workers as they could only offer three hours work a day instead of full shifts over the last few weeks.""If we planted tomatoes, peppers and aubergines in December, we would be picking now.
Many producers are growing less or have delayed planting, and 10% of members have left the sector altogether, he said."Half of our growers didn't grow last year, and half of our growers are not growing this year, and that's because they couldn't secure an increased price from the supermarkets to cover the increased cost of energy and fertiliser, and inputs that they needed in order to make a profit and make a living on the produce grown.
"They can simply get a better price in Europe for less hassle," he said. "The UK is such a small market for Spanish and Moroccan produce. Who are they going to look after first?"LVGA member Tony Montalbano runs his cucumber growing company, Green Acre Salads, from Roydon in Essex. "I looked at the prices I would get for my cucumbers and thought to myself, 'I can't see us making it this year'."
Brexit again. God help us out of this backwards Brexit hell. UK Gov well done UK is becoming a 3rd world country.
Hello . The word you're looking for is Brexit. As a broadcaster, it's your job to tell your audience when it is being lied to by the Government.
Why are you not reporting the truth? This is down to BREXIT alone, nothing to do with bad weather as Europe has loads on supermarket shelves unlike Britain. Even Ireland has tomatoes.
The real reason for the shortage in the UK.
it's time to grow own veg
What shortages? None in Germany, we got grapes from South Africa and the Americas, oranges from Spain, business as usual. Life is good in EU. 😊
Why is there a shortage ?
Quick we all need digital ID’s, covid shots, more weapons to Ukraine, more solar farms, less meat, 15min cities, less right wing people, less CO2, lower sea levels, less fertiliser’s, more electric vehicles, more foreign immigration, more seasonal veg. Did I miss anything out?
May..!? In other words, when they've grown and harvested.. Seasonal activity.?
What shortage?
Are the foolish still waiting for those benefits to kick in?! ToriesOut GeneralElectionNow
or until wholesalers screw the price down to what they want.
Just been shopping to local farm shop plenty tomatoes lettuce and peppers No shortage there. On to Aldi the same still plenty around including cucumbers, tomatoes. The press ?....
And its because of ... bad weather? Corbyn? Or BREXIT
Why is that then?
I suppose it's going to snow in Morocco for the next three months, then.
This is why I want to grow my own!
But what do the show’ers say
I survived the toilet rolls crisis during the lockdown, now as a vegetarian would I survive the vegetable shortage crisis?
what growers ? Dutch , French Spanish German Italian ...no ! they have plenty and fractional energy costs ... but rip off tory Britain is a complete embarrassing corrupt failure
Brexit Britain strikes again
Why are You Guys BBC NEWS Complacent with the Establishment Lies, etc.Etc! Just asking 🤔. 👎👎
I say two weeks
Can anyone give a sensible explanation and don’t give me it’s the weather as nobody else has shortages. We are an island nation can provide most of our own food but we penalise our own agricultural and horticultural industries
Yet more bad weather 🤣😅😅🤣 BrexitDisaster
Shortages and rationing only in the UK, EU shops doing very nicely…..
“Says growers” 🤔
So now stop taxing food as we can’t eat healthy 😂😂😂
Of course
Yeah, only because by then it'll be the cheese shortage or the (insert fave food of your choice) shortage! or whatever you don't have to cook just when everyone was hoping to save on fuel!
Eat healthy they say, yeah right! How can people eat healthy when you can’t get fruit or veg in the supermarkets! 🙄
Growers 😂😂😂
There is only a shortage in the UK. Please report the truth.
Sorry vegans
Supermarkets should pay the producers the right price
There is plenty of other UK grown veg available. Grow up and stop whinging.
In my local Tesco no shortage of fruit and veg this morning and at least six types of tomatoes - mostly from Morocco. There is likely a mixed picture across the country - I would imagine fuel costs from the nearest distribution centre is a factor - but hardly a crisis.
While the energy companies post insane profits. Crooks, legalised by their alleged regulator.
Why do the bbc lie?
The amount people are buying, I presume everyone is on a strictly vegan diet. weightloss
Eat seasonal stuff. Local. Better for health, local economy, and nature.
It’s nothing to do with growers! Lorries have given up coming to the uk due to the ridiculous paperwork, ask Dutch lorry drivers!
Shortage due to bad weather or due to brexit?
No shortage in the USA.
Good evening from rural northern Germany!!
Maybe if we paid british growers what it actually cost THEY could grow our veg instead of cheap imports. I don't know any other business that sells their product at less than cost.
Does anyone know how to feed a family of four with a blue passport
OK, I'll just buy short veg.
Only vegetable people need is Carling, simple as SimpleFacks
Excellent news
Do you lot ever go to a shop. There is plenty of everything !!!!!!!!!
Will Rishi Sunak get roasted over it, or it's only Truss who can be blamed?
Maybe we should eat seasonal foods rather than expecting stuff alll year round.
All lies sainsburys yesterday
Tesco suggests substitutes by placing rather unhealthy food to eat instead of vegs.
Should have taken pics but the shelves are full in Aldi and Tesco here !
There’s a shortage of toilet rolls in our supermarket! What ever you do don’t panic buy!
The market greengrocer who set up outside my local supermarket have plenty of cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. Supermarkets are failing because they are underpaying their suppliers
That will have a huge impact on 0.001% of the population.
That’s some seriously bad weather.
it's called winter
Today's shelves in my local tesco, zero tomatoes, v few cucumbers!
Part of the problem is that you’re buying tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplant during the winter.
It's long gone the BBC were a credible and independent news source. Here's something that might shine a light, and that you might want to report on.
Just eats what’s available. It won’t kill you.
You can order your Ministry of Good Ration Book now. You WON'T be able to get your rotten turnips without it. NothingToDoWithBrexitItsTheWeatherYesThatsItTheWeather
We better rejoin then. It makes sense
BBC scaremongering again
M_A_Dambazau an opportunity
Food shortages have been a global problem in the last year of so with different countries having various problems at different times. California has shortages of tomatoes a few months ago. Spain gave their supermarkets permission to ration
What?
And guess what happens in May? Salad crops come into season! 🤣
“additional fees to get it through the border” 😂 You were sooooo close to saying Brexit too… 😂
Maybe if the supermarkets started paying a fair price for fruit and vegetables the farmers would agree and supply them. Watch this:
Until May ? But no workers to pick them so back to square 1? 😂
Oh well I've been reliably informed that poor obese people have neither the time or money to cook and eat fresh vegetables so who cares?
🍆
Pay the farmers decent money then
Time to eat plenty of meat & beans...!!
Plenty of frozen.
Make sure you don't mention Brexit
That's right BBC keep the propaganda coming. You know as well as we do this is all engineered. All part of the reset agenda. You are trying to accelerate it. Scum.
When the food is gone we'll fight among ourselves. As planned.
Eat meat 🤷♂️😂
Where are Boris and Nigel? Getting out of the EU is a massive opportunity to get our country back, improve the NHS and giving more opportunities to the British people! Bull shit!
The supermarkets won’t pay the price the growers are asking, just like the egg shortage this latest bullshit is nothing more than bullshit, time this lame weak willed dregs of a government are ousted. Time for people to rise up & remove them
Some bloody bad weather that…….
And yet today, theres more shelves of produce
Just returned from Aldi. Found cucumbers, tomatoes peppers and an endless range of other fruit and vegetables. I blame Brexit.
Been delivering fruit and vegetables all week.... absolutely no shortages in our distribution center or stores in our region..... You buy cheap and get a cheap service Tesco Sainsbury's Morrisons ASDA coop Lidl aldi
Time to ditch supermarkets and buy healthy, organic fruit and veg directly from local farmers.
Just go to the local grocers.. bin the supermarkets!
Dread to think what you bedwetters will be like when we have the great imaginary avocado shortage later in the yr,you survived the imaginary tomato and egg shortages of 22/23 but avocado is serious shit 🤡🤡
This is why people will panic buy with headlines like this.
Grow your own - I do - always have - there again I have a 1.2 acre property to play with - still - easy to do on a small - even tiny scale too!
If there is demand, why are our farmers not growing these veg out of season. Why do we rely on imports? The EU will do nothing for us and rightly so. If we are to make Brexit work, we need to learn to stand on our two feet otherwise it will continue to be the shambles it is
It should've lasted until the end of February, but if Southern England goes independent, a new law could predict the end of fruit/vegetable shortage in the winter if by law
So we've got from 'it'll be fine next week' to 'wait it out for a month' to 'lol, hope you like scurvy till the summer 3'
This is due to Brexit and the fact that EU countries don’t want to export to GB because of additional cost , time and paperwork. EU countries don’t have shortages
Like my grandad always said: vote Tory, get turnips.
They are telling us 'get ready for higher prices'
Are the same excuses for keeping energy overpriced still going?
Is that when we re-join the EU
The high energy prices and the reluctance of the supermarkets to pay for the extra heating costs the farmers didn't plant. Supermarkets were relying on a good crop from abroad which didn't materialise. explains it all if you care to watch it.
No mention of Brexit at all. BBC are so shite these days. I hereby rename the BBC to TPC Tory Propoganda Corporation.
Mold is similar to a vegetable. Some mold is possibly delicious. Just a thought. Hope this helps
Supermarket shelves have been empty for a couple of weeks now and I’ve got half the ingredients for a curry in the fridge waiting for stuff to come in stock. Might have to bite the bullet and just have some toast
Karma
Only the UK though suffering shortages
Brexit
Or until we rejoin the EU?
No shortages in both Kendal and Windermere supermarkets this week!
Grow your own. Cheaper and taste so much better
According to bbc people cannot afford fruit and veg and much prefer to buy dog food so I don't think the shortage will be a problem, do you? 🤡😂
Remember