Crop Report

November is often challenging for producers, as the British season finishes before the main winter crop is available. We are continuing to work closely with our suppliers to manage limited supplies, which is currently working well.

Strawberries are in short supply, but we are not expecting any major shortages this week, and demand is being managed well. However, availability is likely to be restricted for the next fortnight or so, while we await the start of the Moroccan harvest.

Raspberries continue to be a significant challenge as British produce has now finished and we are entirely reliant on produce imported from Morocco. This will remain tight for at least the next two weeks.  

Blueberry availability remains good as we are now well into the Peruvian season.

We will complete the transition to Spanish broccoli this week. While there have been some early season challenges with the quality of Spanish produce due to heavy rain, our technical team has managed this at depot level with no impact on customers.

With the end of the British season, we will also see an end to the ongoing pest problems that have been affecting broccoli production through the latter part of the season.

Maintaining weight is an ongoing challenge for growers and concessions remain in place to support availability of both red and white cabbage. There are also some ongoing quality issues with oedema impacting the crop. 

Sweetheart cabbage is currently a mix of British and Spanish produce. This variety will complete the transition to Spain by the end of the month.

We have a concession in place as we transition between the Southern and Northern Hemisphere seasons. This size concession means that we can continue to maximise the use of the better eating quality South African varieties, rather than switching straight to early season Spanish varieties. 

As the Northern Hemisphere season is drawing to a close, availability is tightening. As we transition to the Southern Hemisphere, we have concessions in place for the next month to support supply, as the size of the new season berries can be variable.

Housing Orders have been extended across all of England and Northern Ireland (along with Wales from 13 November) as the UK experiences a higher level of Avian Influenza (AI) than has been seen in the past couple of years. 

An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) is in place across the UK, which means that enhanced biosecurity measures are now in force. We source eggs from multiple locations, reducing the risk of localised outbreaks and we will continue to work with suppliers to minimise the potential impact.

Under UK legislation, when hens are temporarily kept inside because of a Government Housing Order, eggs can continue to be marketed as free range until the Chief Veterinary Officer says it is safe for hens to go outside again.