Crop Report

We have seen some improvement in the level of pests affecting lettuce, which is the result of the change in the weather, combined with the actions that our growers have taken.

The proliferation of aphids followed the long, hot summer, but as it becomes cooler and wetter, the insects naturally disappear. Coupled with that, our growers have been stripping back lettuce heads to remove aphids, harvesting only heads without visible pest presence and skipping heavily infested fields entirely, which has led to a much lower presence.

Little Gem and Cos have seen significant improvement, although stripping back leaves on Cos means that a concession is in place to pack two heads instead of one where necessary. Iceberg continues to improve, but at a slower rate as it grows inward and is more difficult to clean.

We are expecting further improvements in the coming weeks, before we transition to Spain, which should begin around 20 October for Iceberg, with Little Gem and Cos following the week after, all being well.

The situation with mushrooms remains very challenging, but is showing some signs of improvement, with minimal rejections over the past week.

However, catering mushrooms continue to be problematic, both in terms of quality and availability. We are continuing to work with our three suppliers of catering mushrooms to try to maximise availability.

Growers are attempting to recover from an earlier period of high temperatures across Poland and Ireland. As suppliers try to catch up, they are delaying picking for long as possible to meet orders. However, the delay means that temperatures are not getting low enough and mould is developing as a result, which has been causing rejections. 

While overall availability is expected to improve this season, largely as a result of increased planting and lower demand over the hot summer, some quality challenges are emerging. 

The hot, dry spring and summer has led to an increase in dry matter on potatoes, which is causing some internal bruising. We are also expecting some availability challenges for larger potatoes, especially the larger bakers, which could result in less produce later in the season, due to the poor growing conditions over the summer. 

It is unlikely that we will know the final outcome until after the full harvest in October and November.

Market availability remains good, following the earlier weather-related challenges. The main challenges that remain are with pests, which continue to be found in significant quantities on farms. We are working closely with growers and undertaking additional steps to try to minimise the impact on customers. 

We are currently planning to start the transition to Spain at the end of October or very early November.

Concessions remain in place to support availability of both red and white cabbage, which are suffering from reduced volumes, with the earlier lack of water and heat affecting the main growing period and leading to a reduction in yield. 

There are also some continuing quality issues, caused by insect damage and edema which means that more leaves need to be cleared away to reach acceptable quality, reducing head weight and yields. 

There are also concessions in place for savoy cabbage, to maintain availability following the difficult growing conditions.

Over the past few weeks, we have been working with suppliers to try to minimise the impact of a poor quality Southern Hemisphere season. It was expected that it would be a very difficult transition to the Northern Hemisphere. However, we now expect to have a much smoother changeover than previously expected, as we have secured additional stocks. 

It will still be difficult, but we anticipate that only a concession for size will be required, with a slightly smaller lemon replacing the large varieties. 

However, while this is good news, we are still expecting a poor Spanish harvest, with significantly reduced yields, which is likely to lead to season-long problems.

There’s not long to wait for the first deliveries of our new season Spanish Leafy Clementines, which is around a fortnight away. Once they arrive around 20 October, we expect this popular seasonal favourite to remain in stock until around March 2026, depending on the quality of the harvest.

After the recent challenges, supply of cauliflower is good, with no current availability issues. However, in common with other crops, pests continue to be an issue, and there is still a concession in place for insects, which are more prolific following the long and hot summer. 

Our seasonal nectarines and peaches have now finished for this year. We look forward to bringing you these popular fruits again next summer.