At the moment brassicas are over supplied in the UK and Europe due to the unseasonally warm temperatures, Julian Pitts, Managing Director at Veg UK said the that produce being harvested now is what was supposed to be harvested in January next year.
"The climate in the last two or three years seems to have changed to increasingly milder autumns and the winters are not what they should be. There will be a gap in production mid/end January, especially if it does get cold. The prices will be very high due to lack of supply, but at the moment when there is a huge supply growers are being squeezed on the price. This is the problem occurring more often and it is going to cause big problems for the growers as they cannot afford to supply at this price. They are having to make serious commercial decisions and some will not be able to afford to plant for the following year," according to Pitts.
He goes on to say that if this happens it will be devastating for the farming industry as traditional practises will be lost and the whole face of the English countryside will change for ever, which is very worrying.
At the moment retailers are holding up the agreements made and paying the agreed price for produce, unfortunately the retailers and processors also made programs with Spanish growers which they also need to uphold, so although there is lots of English product on the market they are still importing expensive product from Spain.
Veg UK supplies food service, processing, wholesale and retail and also export to the European market. "We try to match our customers with the right specifications depending their demands and on what is produced, such as bigger sizes for processing or smaller for retail customers," explains Pitts.
The company's main export markets are Scandinavia and Holland and they are in the process of building exports to Germany and Hungary, mainly Cauliflower, Broccoli, cabbage, beetroot and onions.
Veg UK is looking to form agreements and relationships with buyers in Europe, With particular focus in Germany where they can supply on a regular basis and not just in times of over supply. Produce can be tailored to meet customer needs and requirements.
For more information:
Julian PittsVeg UK
Tel: +44 1304 503003
Email: Julian@veg-uk.com
www.veguk.co.uk