Eggs, tomatoes and cucumbers become scarcer
British farmers alarmed
Britain increasingly has to worry about food produced at home, according to its domestic farmers. "We should never take our food security for granted," National Farmers Union President Minette Batters said Tuesday at a meeting of the association.
congerdesign / Pixabay
For example, she said, British egg production has fallen to its lowest level in nine years. Nearly one billion fewer eggs were produced last year than in 2019, she said, and the association expects production of tomatoes and cucumbers to fall to the lowest level since 1985. Quite a few livestock farmers also plan to downsize their operations in the next 12 months - 40 percent of cattle farmers and 36 percent of sheep farmers.
Farmers see several reasons for these developments: In addition to increased costs due to the Ukraine war, trade barriers caused by Brexit and an aggravated shortage of personnel also play a role. Climate change is also making life difficult for the industry - through droughts, for example.
"The clock is ticking," Batters said, calling on the British government to take decisive action. For example, trade barriers must be removed, farmers must be supported and climate protection measures must be pursued consistently. In addition, he said, in the face of increasing global pressures, the government should not rely on imports to fill the gaps.
The BBC already reported on Tuesday that some vegetable shelves in supermarkets are unusually empty, according to which tomatoes in particular are said to be in short supply. These are usually imported in the winter in Great Britain, often from Spain or Morocco. There, harvests were recently affected by a cold spell that followed unusually warm weather. The supermarket chain Asda even limited sales of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other vegetables, according to the report./swe/DP/nas (dpa)
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
Other news from the department business & finance
Get the food & beverage industry in your inbox
From now on, don't miss a thing: Our newsletter for the food & beverage sector brings you up to date every Tuesday and Thursday. The latest industry news, product highlights and innovations - compact and easy to understand in your inbox. Researched by us so you don't have to.
Most read news
More news from our other portals
See the theme worlds for related content
Topic world Food safety
Food safety is at the heart of the food and beverage industry. It ensures that the food we eat every day is not only nutritious, but also free of harmful contaminants. From field to plate, the industry monitors and regulates every step of the process with strict quality controls, advanced testing methods and continuous research.
Topic world Food safety
Food safety is at the heart of the food and beverage industry. It ensures that the food we eat every day is not only nutritious, but also free of harmful contaminants. From field to plate, the industry monitors and regulates every step of the process with strict quality controls, advanced testing methods and continuous research.
