Vegetable shortages expected for Christmas
This year’s Christmas dinners are in jeopardy with storms causing havoc for famers.
Extreme weather has caused one of the toughest harvests on record, with the potato crop anticipated to hit a record low.
Shoppers can expect empty shelves when looking for broccoli and cauliflower. However festive favourites, such as sprouts and parsnips, should recover in time for Christmas.
Andy Dibben, Head Grower at Abbey Home Farm, said unprecedented rainfall has waterlogged the farm, causing mould.
He said: “Our carrots have been sat in saturated ground now, leading to some of them rotting at the tips, obviously we can’t sell rotten carrots.
“We were only able to get our potatoes in very late, we then didn’t have much sun and then harvest season has been incredibly wet again.
“So especially for the very large producers it’s been probably one of the worst potato seasons in recent memory.
“You’ll be looking at smaller sprouts in the shops, smaller carrots in the shops, probably smaller potatoes, and higher prices.”