It has been revealed that the UK may experience a shortage of apples and pears in the future, as British growers are planting only a third of the necessary number of trees to sustain their orchards. This is due to their inability to generate sustainable profits by selling to supermarkets. Ali Capper, who heads the British Apples & Pears trade association, which represents about 80% of the industry in the UK, has stated that 1 million new trees need to be planted annually to maintain the country’s current 5,500 hectares (13,590 acres) of production. However, this year’s planned orders for apple and pear trees by farmers have been reduced from 480,000 to 330,000.
The cost of fruit growers’ operations has increased by approximately 23%, including expenses for picking, energy, haulage, and packaging, while their profits have risen by less than 1%. As a result, most growers are losing money, leading some to consider leaving the industry, while others have opted to mothball or remove their orchards due to diminishing returns. Capper expressed grave concern, stating that the future of apple and pear production in the UK is in serious jeopardy. The UK is already experiencing shortages of various fresh food products, prompting Tesco, Asda, Aldi, and Morrisons to limit purchases of certain items, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, due to cold weather affecting crops in Spain and North Africa, as well as cutbacks by British and Dutch growers who cultivate salads under glass during this period. According to growers, supermarkets have been unwilling to cover the additional heating costs.
Brexit has led some importers to believe that the UK is at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with the EU for scarce fresh produce. This is due to the added costs and bureaucracy associated with shipments across the channel. Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics reports that nearly 18% of UK adults have encountered shortages of essential food items in the past two weeks, up from 13% a year ago, as importers indicate that Britain’s departure from the EU has resulted in higher costs and the possibility of delays due to additional paperwork. The environment minister, Thérèse Coffey, expects the shortage of some fresh food items to persist for up to a month, but some British growers warn that the shortages may last until May. In a parliamentary session, Coffey suggested that British households could opt for British turnips instead of out-of-season crops from abroad, but by Friday, Tesco’s website had already sold out of turnips, offering swedes as an alternative. Frosts before Christmas have also affected British field crops such as leeks, carrots, and kale, resulting in reduced harvests this year as farmers struggle with rising costs and volatile weather, partly caused by climate change.
According to reports, Leek Growers’ Association members have experienced a decrease in yield ranging from 15% to 30%. Consequently, they anticipate that the UK will run out of locally grown leeks by April, and there will be no domestic supply in stores during May and June, leaving consumers to rely on imported leeks. Meanwhile, Clive Baxter, an apple grower in Kent from a family with an 80-year history of cultivating apples, plans to return 24 hectares (60 acres) of leasehold land that grows apples, pears, cherries, and plums to his landlord next year. This would likely result in the uprooting of trees, while he also intends to leave another 3.6 hectares (nine acres) of his orchards fallow.
Baxter has turned to vineyards as a diversification strategy since supermarkets have offered him less money for his apples and pears while costs have surged, mainly due to the rise in fertilizer, energy, and labor expenses after Brexit, which hindered the influx of workers from Europe. “We are already operating at a loss,” he remarked.
A farmer named Richard Budd at Stevens Farm in Hawkhurst, located nearby, disclosed to BBC’s South East news program that he is removing 20 hectares (50 acres) of orchards.
In a survey conducted by the British Growers Association on British Apples & Pears growers, another farmer stated, “After growing fruit for 40 years, we have decided to stop apple cultivation in two years’ time.”
Capper emphasized that if fruit trees disappear, it would not only jeopardize food security but also have an impact on biodiversity that has been cultivated in many orchards.
