'No more than three lettuce heads' supermarkets tell customers as extreme weather in Europe hits vegetables supplies

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:13 am

Supermarkets have taken to rationing vegetables after extreme weather in the Mediterranean caused supply shortages. Shoppers have been venting their frustration on social media, sharing pictures of empty vegetable aisles during their trips to supermarkets. Some of the largest retailers are listing many popular vegetables as unavailable online in a bid to restrict supplies.

While Tesco stores are also carrying a notice capping the number of lettuces customers can buy to just three per person.

A spokesman for the supermarket said: "Due to bad weather conditions in Spain, we are experiencing some availability issues, but are working with our suppliers to resolve them as quickly as possible.

"To make sure none of our customers miss out, we are asking them to limit the number of iceberg lettuces they buy to three."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/03/no-three-lettuce-heads-supermarkets-tell-customers-extreme-weather/

by Ben Reilly Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:17 am

Yesterday it reached 80, today the high was 45. That damned sun!

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:19 am

Ben Reilly wrote:Yesterday it reached 80, today the high was 45. That damned sun!

And the weather keeps getting more and more extreme.

by nicko Fri Feb 03, 2017 8:14 am

Why would anyone want 3 lettuce at one time? very large family? Dozens of pet Rabbits?

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 8:19 am

nicko wrote:Why would anyone want 3 lettuce at one time? very large family? Dozens of pet Rabbits?

Its panic buying Nicko, people suddenly go crazy, because they hear of a shortage

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:26 pm

Thorin wrote:
Ben Reilly wrote:Yesterday it reached 80, today the high was 45. That damned sun!

And the weather keeps getting more and more extreme.

Must have been really high co2 levels one day and really low the next...

lol!

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:28 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:
Thorin wrote:

And the weather keeps getting more and more extreme.

Must have been really high co2 levels one day and really low the next...

'No more than three lettuce heads' supermarkets tell customers as extreme weather in Europe hits vegetables supplies G1359166629958441808

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:31 pm

Thorin wrote:Supermarkets have taken to rationing vegetables after extreme weather in the Mediterranean caused supply shortages. Shoppers have been venting their frustration on social media, sharing pictures of empty vegetable aisles during their trips to supermarkets. Some of the largest retailers are listing many popular vegetables as unavailable online in a bid to restrict supplies.

While Tesco stores are also carrying a notice capping the number of lettuces customers can buy to just three per person.

A spokesman for the supermarket said: "Due to bad weather conditions in Spain, we are experiencing some availability issues, but are working with our suppliers to resolve them as quickly as possible.

"To make sure none of our customers miss out, we are asking them to limit the number of iceberg lettuces they buy to three."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/03/no-three-lettuce-heads-supermarkets-tell-customers-extreme-weather/

Parts of Spain have been experiencing unusual cold temperatures and snow since beginning of November 2016...

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:31 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:
Thorin wrote:Supermarkets have taken to rationing vegetables after extreme weather in the Mediterranean caused supply shortages. Shoppers have been venting their frustration on social media, sharing pictures of empty vegetable aisles during their trips to supermarkets. Some of the largest retailers are listing many popular vegetables as unavailable online in a bid to restrict supplies.

While Tesco stores are also carrying a notice capping the number of lettuces customers can buy to just three per person.

A spokesman for the supermarket said: "Due to bad weather conditions in Spain, we are experiencing some availability issues, but are working with our suppliers to resolve them as quickly as possible.

"To make sure none of our customers miss out, we are asking them to limit the number of iceberg lettuces they buy to three."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/03/no-three-lettuce-heads-supermarkets-tell-customers-extreme-weather/

Parts of Spain have been experiencing unusual cold temperatures and snow since end of November 2016...

And?

by Syl Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:33 pm

I haven't been able to buy an Iceberg lettuce for 3 weeks here in this area.
On the radio today one reason for some supermarkets rationing lettuce and brocolli is because retailers who have not been able to get their usual stocks have been clearing the shelves of some supermarkets buying in bulk, in order to sell them on at a higher profit.

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:36 pm

Syl wrote:I haven't been able to buy an Iceberg lettuce for 3 weeks here in this area.
On the radio today one reason for some supermarkets rationing lettuce and brocolli is because retailers who have not been able to get their usual stocks have been clearing the shelves of some supermarkets buying in bulk, in order to sell them on at a higher profit.

Would not be viable for them to do that, when it only has a shelf life of 7-10 days
They could end up being stuck with the stock
Most supermarkets only buy at a high percentage shelf life of around 70-80%

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:38 pm

Thorin wrote:
Tommy Monk wrote:

Parts of Spain have been experiencing unusual cold temperatures and snow since end of November 2016...

And?

Is the reason why some veg and fruit is in short supply...

Thought this thread was about this...!?

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:39 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:
Thorin wrote:

And?

Is the reason why some veg and fruit is in short supply...

Thought this thread was about this...!?

And?

by Syl Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:46 pm

Thorin wrote:
Syl wrote:I haven't been able to buy an Iceberg lettuce for 3 weeks here in this area.
On the radio today one reason for some supermarkets rationing lettuce and brocolli is because retailers who have not been able to get their usual stocks have been clearing the shelves of some supermarkets buying in bulk, in order to sell them on at a higher profit.

Would not be viable for them to do that, when it only has a shelf life of 7-10 days
They could end up being stuck with the stock
Most supermarkets only buy at a high percentage shelf life of around 70-80%

Smaller retailers (corner shops) have been buying from the bigger one (Morrisons was named on the radio) in bulk....probably just enough to sell on to their own customers.

All I know is Iceberg lettuce has been impossible to get for 3 weeks....empty shelves where they usually are.

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:47 pm

Syl wrote:
Thorin wrote:

Would not be viable for them to do that, when it only has a shelf life of 7-10 days
They could end up being stuck with the stock
Most supermarkets only buy at a high percentage shelf life of around 70-80%

Smaller retailers (corner shops) have been buying from the bigger one (Morrisons was named on the radio) in bulk....probably just enough to sell on to their own customers.

All I know is Iceberg lettuce has been impossible to get for 3 weeks....empty shelves where they usually are.

Just shows how reliant this nation is on other nations just for food.

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:54 pm

Thorin wrote:
Syl wrote:

Smaller retailers (corner shops) have been buying from the bigger one (Morrisons was named on the radio) in bulk....probably just enough to sell on to their own customers.

All I know is Iceberg lettuce has been impossible to get for 3 weeks....empty shelves where they usually are.

Just shows how reliant this nation is on other nations just for food.

Which is an argument against mass immigration...

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:57 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:
Thorin wrote:

Just shows how reliant this nation is on other nations just for food.

Which is an argument against mass immigration...

Is it?

I suggest you think further on that, as those people will still need that food, in their perspective countries and if they are one of the suppliers, even less for the UK

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 1:23 pm

Less people here then less need for imports of all kinds... less pressure on housing/schools/nhs/roads/public transport... less pressure on water and energy supplies... less rubbish to deal with... less pollution... less of our home farm produce used meaning cheaper for us and more available for export...

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 1:24 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:

Less people here then less need for imports of all kinds... less pressure on housing/schools/nhs/roads/public transport... less pressure on water and energy supplies... less rubbish to deal with... less pollution... less of our home farm produce used meaning cheaper for us and more available for export...

What has that got to do with the point on feeding based off food shortages and even more when Spain is an EU country. Who will no doubt give preference to supplying EU nations?

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 1:35 pm

I was elaborating on the wider results of there being less people arrived here through mass immigration...

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 1:36 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:

I was elaborating on the wider results of there being less people arrived here through mass immigration...

No you poorly try to deflect and are still avoiding the points

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:16 pm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/commodities/11858718/Only-French-farmers-will-save-us-from-the-madness-of-Europe.html

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:40 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/commodities/11858718/Only-French-farmers-will-save-us-from-the-madness-of-Europe.html

So another EU country then.

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:59 pm

What's your point...?

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:02 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:What's your point...?

If we left the EU

Another EU country that supplies food to us and in we end up in short supply when we leave.

I keep being told we do not need the EU

Ironic really

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:07 pm

This is priceless Laughing

'No more than three lettuce heads' supermarkets tell customers as extreme weather in Europe hits vegetables supplies P7338-lettuce-shortage-funny-responses-8

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:08 pm

Its gets better

'No more than three lettuce heads' supermarkets tell customers as extreme weather in Europe hits vegetables supplies By88e-lettuce-shortage-funny-responses-5

'No more than three lettuce heads' supermarkets tell customers as extreme weather in Europe hits vegetables supplies By88e-lettuce-shortage-funny-responses-5

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:08 pm

No... not at all... I don't know where you get these confused ideas from...!?

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:11 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:
No... not at all... I don't know where you get these confused ideas from...!?

Nothing confusing about it Tommy

It shows clearly the Uk, as I have told you many times before. Does not have enough resources to run on its own.

It needs to buy in many things to sustain the country.

Of which plenty comes from the EU

by Syl Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:46 pm

Thorin wrote:Its gets better

I managed to get an Iceberg lettuce today....I was having withdrawal symptoms.

I think with most food shortages, if selfish people didn't bulk buy the shortages would be a lot less noticeable.

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:48 pm

Syl wrote:
Thorin wrote:Its gets better

I managed to get an Iceberg lettuce today....I was having withdrawal symptoms.

I think with most food shortages, if selfish people didn't bulk buy the shortages would be a lot less noticeable.

So true Syl and am very glad you managed to get hold of some.

Laughing

by Victorismyhero Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:53 pm

bloody ell a few iceberg letteuces short and theres panic on....

just settle for a limp letteuce...and eat a euro lefty.... Razz

WTF is wrong with you all...grow your own....you dont need much room...and atm you dont really even need any amount of heat.....

what next a charity collection for deprived veggies???

Rolling Eyes

by Syl Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:56 pm

Lord Foul wrote:bloody ell a few iceberg letteuces short and theres panic on....

just settle for a limp letteuce...and eat a euro lefty....

WTF is wrong with you all...grow your own....you dont need much room...and atm you dont really even need any amount of heat.....

what next a charity collection for deprived veggies???

Hey...we are not all cut out to be self sufficient. Laughing

In any case, by the time I managed to grow a lettuce no doubt the shelves will be stacked high again.

by Guest Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:59 pm

Lord Foul wrote:bloody ell a few iceberg letteuces short and theres panic on....

just settle for a limp letteuce...and eat a euro lefty....

WTF is wrong with you all...grow your own....you dont need much room...and atm you dont really even need any amount of heat.....

what next a charity collection for deprived veggies???

I agree its been blown out of proportion mate, hence the joke tweets I put up. Laughing

What is interesting is if there really was a food crisis, based as no longer being in the EU.

Considering we consume 27% of food, is imported from the EU and we consume 54% produced in the UK

Anyway, this is very interesting article on the challenges ahead on leaving the EU with food.

https://qz.com/716156/the-british-import-a-quarter-of-their-food-from-the-eu-and-thats-a-problem/

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 8:43 pm

Thorin wrote:
Tommy Monk wrote:
No... not at all... I don't know where you get these confused ideas from...!?

Nothing confusing about it Tommy

It shows clearly the Uk, as I have told you many times before. Does not have enough resources to run on its own.

It needs to buy in many things to sustain the country.

Of which plenty comes from the EU

We import about £40 billion of the food and drink consumed here but we also export about £20 billion of food and drink too!

We will always import some of those things because we simply dont/can't produce them here...!

And some of the other stuff like lettuce and broccoli are bought from overseas during our winter because it's too cold here to grow here then...

Spain are not going to stop wanting to sell some of their fruit and veg to us when we are out of eu!!!

Also once we are out... we will be free from eu rules/quotas/restrictions etc and able to produce much more for our own consumption as well as surplus for export, and we will be able to get anything else we want/need from countless other places too!!!

by Tommy Monk Fri Feb 03, 2017 8:48 pm

Anyway... reminds me of that old joke about the man who goes to the doctor with a bit of lettuce growing out of his arse hole...

The doctor looks... then shakes his head while tutting in a worrying manner...

The bloke asks if it is bad news...?

Dr says... "Yeah... That's just the tip of the iceberg!!!"

lol!

by Guest Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:10 am

Thorin wrote:
Lord Foul wrote:bloody ell a few iceberg letteuces short and theres panic on....

just settle for a limp letteuce...and eat a euro lefty....

WTF is wrong with you all...grow your own....you dont need much room...and atm you dont really even need any amount of heat.....

what next a charity collection for deprived veggies???

I agree its been blown out of proportion mate, hence the joke tweets I put up.

What is interesting is if there really was a food crisis, based as no longer being in the EU.

Considering we consume 27% of food, is imported from the EU and we consume 54% produced in the UK

Anyway, this is very interesting article on the challenges ahead on leaving the EU with food.

https://qz.com/716156/the-british-import-a-quarter-of-their-food-from-the-eu-and-thats-a-problem/

I just show Tommy the problems with this industry leaving and what does he do?
Ignore it and go
"la la la la, i'm not listening, la la la"

by Guest Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:12 am

Hopefully the British worked up an appetite as they voted to leave the European Union. They will need it in coming months as the country hashes out plans for how feed its people.

In the immediate aftermath, the collapse in the value of the British pound against the dollar and euro is going to make UK imports of food more expensive. And it imports a lot of food. In 2015, the UK exported £18 billion (at the time about $26 billion) worth of a food and drink, a number that’s dwarfed by the £38.5 billion it spent to import food and drink that same year.

Looking further out, it’s hard to pin down exactly what will happen to the UK’s food and agricultural sectors, in part because having a major world economy disentangle itself from a powerful geo-political trading bloc is unprecedented.

“The medium term outlook would depend very much on the terms of the exit negotiations, making it very difficult to quantify the economic impact, or indeed determine the regulations which UK business would still need to adhere to.” said Sarah Boumphrey, an analyst with Euromonitor.

Imports and exports

What happens to the cost and availability of different food products in the long-term has more to do with the UK’s trade deals with the remaining 27 European Union member states as it begins to extricate itself from continental laws and regulations. For starters, a uniform EU agricultural policy made it easier for the UK and European states to buy and sell goods—just one reason why Britain’s farming lobby and its secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs pushed hard for a vote to remain.

Now, it will have to re-negotiate its trade and policy relationships with each EU member state. That’s going to be a critical process for the country, which sends 70% of its food and agricultural products to EU nations. It’s also going to be a nettlesome endeavor, as trade negotiations can often take months or even years to ratify. The UK will also have to figure out how to rework its farm insurance, subsidy payments and environmental stewardship programs.

“That puts a lot of uncertainty in agriculture,” said David Hughes, a food business professor at Imperial College London. Hughes added that the EU provided farmers with a subsidy cushion that may not be replicated by an independent UK.

And until those trade deals and tariff agreements are signed and sealed, people will be less likely to make investments in UK food technology and innovation, said Euromonitor analyst Raphael Moreau.

https://qz.com/716156/the-british-import-a-quarter-of-their-food-from-the-eu-and-thats-a-problem/

by Guest Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:18 am

Tommy Monk wrote:
Thorin wrote:

Nothing confusing about it Tommy

It shows clearly the Uk, as I have told you many times before. Does not have enough resources to run on its own.

It needs to buy in many things to sustain the country.

Of which plenty comes from the EU

We import about £40 billion of the food and drink consumed here but we also export about £20 billion of food and drink too! We will always import some of those things because we simply dont/can't produce them here...!

And some of the other stuff like lettuce and broccoli are bought from overseas during our winter because it's too cold here to grow here then... Spain are not going to stop wanting to sell some of their fruit and veg to us when we are out of eu!!!

Also once we are out... we will be free from eu rules/quotas/restrictions etc and able to produce much more for our own consumption as well as surplus for export, and we will be able to get anything else we want/need from countless other places too!!!

If there was a food crisis, you fail to see the EU would pool together to feed itself, before they would feed the uk. As its member states are what would matter more in regards to feeding its people than any exports to the Uk. That is the first failing of your flawed reasoning.

27% of food we consume, of which will still be required from the EU due to the difficulty of logistics and costs getting elsewhere and due to the shelf life. Spain are not going to stop selling to the UK, its more going to be about how much more this will cost the Uk and about how much it will cost the food industry to continue their exports. Though if there was a food crisis, the Uk would be behind suppling any other EU nation.

Its a fallacy to claim we will be free from quotas, restricts ions etc, when we need to negotiate whether we can be able to do this when exporting and importing food from the EU. Even the US trade deal as well as other Non- EU nations have signed up EU's high standards for consumer protection, social rights and environmental rules.

by 'Wolfie Sat Feb 04, 2017 2:38 am

IF I were British food importers/wholesalers/supermarkets looking to alternative food sources outside of Europe, considering distances and direct lines of transport, I would already be negotiating with suppliers in Brazil, Canada, Uraguay, South Africa, Argentina, Kenya, Cuba, and suchlike...

Especially for 'out of season' and more temperate/tropical varieties..

And remembering too, that it could take the best part of the next decade for many domestic British producers to adjust to changing market conditions, and ramp up production to meet increased demands. It simply can't happen overnight..

by Tommy Monk Sat Feb 04, 2017 10:12 am

Tommy Monk wrote:
Thorin wrote:

Nothing confusing about it Tommy

It shows clearly the Uk, as I have told you many times before. Does not have enough resources to run on its own.

It needs to buy in many things to sustain the country.

Of which plenty comes from the EU

We import about £40 billion of the food and drink consumed here but we also export about £20 billion of food and drink too!

We will always import some of those things because we simply dont/can't produce them here...!

And some of the other stuff like lettuce and broccoli are bought from overseas during our winter because it's too cold here to grow here then...

Spain are not going to stop wanting to sell some of their fruit and veg to us when we are out of eu!!!

Also once we are out... we will be free from eu rules/quotas/restrictions etc and able to produce much more for our own consumption as well as surplus for export, and we will be able to get anything else we want/need from countless other places too!!!

by Guest Sat Feb 04, 2017 11:12 am

Thorin wrote:
Tommy Monk wrote:

We import about £40 billion of the food and drink consumed here but we also export about £20 billion of food and drink too! We will always import some of those things because we simply dont/can't produce them here...!

And some of the other stuff like lettuce and broccoli are bought from overseas during our winter because it's too cold here to grow here then... Spain are not going to stop wanting to sell some of their fruit and veg to us when we are out of eu!!!

Also once we are out... we will be free from eu rules/quotas/restrictions etc and able to produce much more for our own consumption as well as surplus for export, and we will be able to get anything else we want/need from countless other places too!!!

If there was a food crisis, you fail to see the EU would pool together to feed itself, before they would feed the uk. As its member states are what would matter more in regards to feeding its people than any exports to the Uk. That is the first failing of your flawed reasoning.

27% of food we consume, of which will still be required from the EU due to the difficulty of logistics and costs getting elsewhere and due to the shelf life. Spain are not going to stop selling to the UK, its more going to be about how much more this will cost the Uk and about how much it will cost the food industry to continue their exports. Though if there was a food crisis, the Uk would be behind suppling any other EU nation.

Its a fallacy to claim we will be free from quotas, restricts ions etc, when we need to negotiate whether we can be able to do this when exporting and importing food from the EU. Even the US trade deal as well as other Non- EU nations have signed up EU's high standards for consumer protection, social rights and environmental rules.

You can spam your post all you like Tommy and will continue to then post my reply to you again.

by Tommy Monk Sat Feb 04, 2017 11:23 am

Spain are not going to stop wanting to sell some of their fruit and veg to us when we are out of eu!!!

Also once we are out... we will be free from eu rules/quotas/restrictions etc and able to produce much more for our own consumption as well as surplus for export, and we will be able to get anything else we want/need from countless other places too!!!

Dodge... I can buy lamb from new Zealand, lobster from Canada, tuna from the Indian ocean, chillis from Mozambique, tea from Sri Lanka, rice from Thailand, wine from Australia and coffee & cocoa from south America...

I can grow lettuce and broccoli in the back garden!!!

lol!

by Guest Sat Feb 04, 2017 11:25 am

Tommy Monk wrote:Spain are not going to stop wanting to sell some of their fruit and veg to us when we are out of eu!!!

Also once we are out... we will be free from eu rules/quotas/restrictions etc and able to produce much more for our own consumption as well as surplus for export, and we will be able to get anything else we want/need from countless other places too!!!

Dodge... I can buy lamb from new Zealand, lobster from Canada, tuna from the Indian ocean, chillis from Mozambique, tea from Sri Lanka, rice from Thailand, wine from Australia and coffee & cocoa from south America...

I can grow lettuce and broccoli in the back garden!!!

Read again, as you are just regurgitated the same thing again.

If there was a food crisis, you fail to see the EU would pool together to feed itself, before they would feed the uk. As its member states are what would matter more in regards to feeding its people than any exports to the Uk. That is the first failing of your flawed reasoning.

27% of food we consume, of which will still be required from the EU due to the difficulty of logistics and costs getting elsewhere and due to the shelf life. Spain are not going to stop selling to the UK, its more going to be about how much more this will cost the Uk and about how much it will cost the food industry to continue their exports. Though if there was a food crisis, the Uk would be behind suppling any other EU nation.

Its a fallacy to claim we will be free from quotas, restricts ions etc, when we need to negotiate whether we can be able to do this when exporting and importing food from the EU. Even the US trade deal as well as other Non- EU nations have signed up EU's high standards for consumer protection, social rights and environmental rules.

and

In the immediate aftermath, the collapse in the value of the British pound against the dollar and euro is going to make UK imports of food more expensive. And it imports a lot of food. In 2015, the UK exported £18 billion (at the time about $26 billion) worth of a food and drink, a number that’s dwarfed by the £38.5 billion it spent to import food and drink that same year.

Looking further out, it’s hard to pin down exactly what will happen to the UK’s food and agricultural sectors, in part because having a major world economy disentangle itself from a powerful geo-political trading bloc is unprecedented.

“The medium term outlook would depend very much on the terms of the exit negotiations, making it very difficult to quantify the economic impact, or indeed determine the regulations which UK business would still need to adhere to.” said Sarah Boumphrey, an analyst with Euromonitor.

Imports and exports

What happens to the cost and availability of different food products in the long-term has more to do with the UK’s trade deals with the remaining 27 European Union member states as it begins to extricate itself from continental laws and regulations. For starters, a uniform EU agricultural policy made it easier for the UK and European states to buy and sell goods—just one reason why Britain’s farming lobby and its secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs pushed hard for a vote to remain.

Now, it will have to re-negotiate its trade and policy relationships with each EU member state. That’s going to be a critical process for the country, which sends 70% of its food and agricultural products to EU nations. It’s also going to be a nettlesome endeavor, as trade negotiations can often take months or even years to ratify. The UK will also have to figure out how to rework its farm insurance, subsidy payments and environmental stewardship programs.

“That puts a lot of uncertainty in agriculture,” said David Hughes, a food business professor at Imperial College London. Hughes added that the EU provided farmers with a subsidy cushion that may not be replicated by an independent UK.

And until those trade deals and tariff agreements are signed and sealed, people will be less likely to make investments in UK food technology and innovation, said Euromonitor analyst Raphael Moreau.

https://qz.com/716156/the-british-import-a-quarter-of-their-food-from-the-eu-and-thats-a-problem/

by Tommy Monk Sat Feb 04, 2017 11:30 am

Tommy Monk wrote:Spain are not going to stop wanting to sell some of their fruit and veg to us when we are out of eu!!!

Also once we are out the eu... we will be free from eu rules/quotas/restrictions etc and able to produce much more for our own consumption as well as surplus for export, and we will be able to get anything else we want/need from countless other places too!!!

Dodge... I can buy lamb from new Zealand, lobster from Canada, tuna from the Indian ocean, chillis from Mozambique, tea from Sri Lanka, rice from Thailand, wine from Australia and coffee & cocoa from south America...

I can grow lettuce and broccoli in the back garden!!!

by Guest Sat Feb 04, 2017 11:30 am

So Tommy is just spamming evading every single point.

What a surprise.

Not

by Tommy Monk Sat Feb 04, 2017 11:33 am

Also we don't need free trade deals to trade with other nations.

by Fred Moletrousers Sat Feb 04, 2017 6:03 pm

Hand-wringing by the supermarkets needs to be taken with a very large pinch of salt.

It is largely down to the aggressive purchasing policies levied against their suppliers, particularly the many relatively small businesses in the horticultural and dairy sectors, coupled with the repeated vicious price wars between the major companies such as Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrison as they tried to meet growing competition from cut-price chains like Aldi and Lidl, that have greatly reduced the availability of home-grown produce.

Some very dirty tricks have been played on small suppliers for decades, driving many of them into bankruptcy and liquidation. Contract terms have suddenly been changed, consignments rejected if a single flawed product was discovered, compulsory levies and/or price cuts imposed to make the growers themselves pay the costs of special in-store price deals and promotions...all backed up by ruthless take-it-or-leave it ultimatums by purchasing managers under pressure from their boards and shareholders to maximise profits.

Those factors have also forced British horticulture in particular to cut back on the research and development and investment necessary not only to increase yields, but also to extend growing seasons and expand into production of some of the more exotic varieties of fruit and vegetables currently available in the market and in increasing demand by consumers.

But sadly, many small producers have gone out of business in recent years because their margins have been so low and their production and labour costs so high that they were simply unable to complete.

Some of the lost production has been taken up by the larger and often specialist producers, such as those growing huge areas of brassicas, carrots, celery, top and soft fruit, etc. or by grower-co-operatives centrally negotiating and marking on behalf of their members, but shoppers now want things like strawberries and specialised salad crops to be available all the year round...and in increasing quantities.

The disastrous growing conditions during the past few months in key winter horticultural crop cultivation areas such as Spain, coupled with the weakness of sterling and the increased cost of long-haul bulk transport - stick beans from Kenya, for example - have combined to lead to empty shelves, panic buying and hoarding.

Had successive governments and the financially powerful supermarket chains played fair with farmers and growers and supported their expertise, commitment and hard work over the past couple of decades, the effects of the crop failures in other parts of the world could at least have been minimised.

by nicko Sat Feb 04, 2017 6:33 pm

Your quite correct Fred, i'v had dealings with many Farmers over the years and the big super markets are squeezing the life out of the small suppliers .

by Tommy Monk Sat Feb 04, 2017 6:47 pm

Now we're getting out of the EU we can end the madness of the eu common agricultural policy imposed here, and we can start to support uk farming to produce more of what we need and more to export too!!!

Also getting out of eu fisheries policy can only be great for uk!

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