UK could face a broccoli and cauliflower shortage this spring
Broccoli and cauliflower are among the most popular vegetables in the UK and are regulars on many weekly shopping lists. However, this year, we could see a shortage of these vegetables, along with other brassicas like collard greens, kale, and turnips.
This is due to increasingly warm temperatures over the winter months, caused by climate change, with growers reporting that crops are coming up too early. Some are now predicting a shortage during the UK's 'hungry gap,' which typically lasts from March to May.
The Met Office reported: "Observations show a clear warming trend for average UK winter temperature, and this trend is projected to continue in the future due to human-induced climate change.
"This doesn’t mean the UK will no longer see cold spells … however, cold spells are projected to become less frequent and less severe."
Warmer temperatures generally will encourage growth, meaning that crops may come up before they're ready to be harvested – and face other weather challenges, too.
Hannah Croft, an agronomist at the organic vegetable box company Riverford, told the Guardian: "UK cauliflowers have faced weather challenges, including significant rainfall in autumn, which caused some losses in early crops, while mild temperatures brought winter cauliflowers ahead of schedule."
Croft added that there would be "tight periods for broccoli supply later this spring".
This is something that some growers have witnessed themselves, with Guy Barter, the chief horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society, explaining that his cauliflower crops have come up months early.
He explained: “I think what happened here is that the plants went in at the usual time but grew mightily in the wet July and September and the very mild autumn, so their natural mechanism of timing flowering by chilling was overridden by their larger-than-usual size, hence flowering now rather than April.”
Further afield, the weather in 2024 has also caused issues for growers in countries such as Spain. Croft added: “Our Spanish suppliers, who grow much of our winter broccoli, have faced setbacks due to heavy autumn rain, which caused quality issues and delayed planting for spring crops.
"This has pushed harvest schedules forward, meaning there’s a possibility of a gap in late spring.”
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