Crop Report

The weather continues to cause concern for growers, not only for the current harvest, but also for the new season. As extreme weather and lack of rainfall continue to dominate the farming sector across Europe, farmers are bracing themselves for the impact on produce, with lower yields and smaller vegetables expected as they react to the lack of water and soaring temperatures.

Further heatwaves are set to extend what was the driest July on record for England and Wales, with limited rainfall of only 10% of what is normally expected. As we move through August, temperatures are expected to remain high and rainfall is still limited, so there is a continuing risk of plants experiencing heat stress.

Concerns regarding pest proliferation have receded slightly with the relaxation of some rules on applying pest control measures, which should help in the dry, hot conditions.

Growing conditions have become increasingly difficult, with the lack of rainfall now limiting volumes across several brassica lines. The coming weeks are expected to be challenging, and multiple concessions are in place across cauliflower, sweetheart cabbage, savoy cabbage and broccoli to help maintain continuity of supply.

Pest pressure has risen sharply, and suppliers are working hard to manage this within tighter pesticide restrictions and ongoing dry conditions.

A specific concession is now in place for cauliflower, alongside head weights, which continue to fall below normal levels, the lower end specification has changed from 120mm to 110mm, so heads may appear smaller than customers are used to.

El Niño impacts are expected to intensify through August, with conditions in Peru continuing to unsettle the growing environment. Quality issues are more evident on longer sea-freighted arrivals, where extended transit times increase the risk of condition problems. Air freight is being used where necessary to protect quality and maintain continuity of supply.

Even with this support, the market is likely to remain tight, with ongoing climatic instability continuing to affect both quality and availability.

We are likely to start to see the market tighten significantly this week, as the potential challenges that we have been reporting for the past few weeks start to take effect. Spain is struggling to maintain quality in light of the hot weather, while Dutch growers are having to pick more backward fruit to try to maintain shelf life.

We expect challenges throughout August, particularly on red peppers.

Cucumber supply remains highly unstable, with very limited volumes available across the wider market. Our contracted programmes are holding, but both Dutch and Spanish growers are under significant pressure. In the Netherlands, ongoing crop rotations are still restricting output, while in Spain the seasonal heat is suppressing yields and slowing recovery. These factors are combining to keep availability tight, and we expect this volatility to persist until the new season produce comes through.

Growing conditions remain difficult in many parts of the country, with prolonged heat slowing lettuce growth and placing crops under sustained stress. Our growers near Preston have benefited from recent rainfall and cooler temperatures, which has helped them maintain consistent supply with good quality produce, despite wider volatility.

While the market remains unsettled, we are working closely with growers to minimise any impact on customers. One positive development is the extended window for pesticide use, allowing growers more time to manage the surge in pest pressure brought on by the heat.

The continued hot weather is causing issues in getting compost, which is stored outside, down to the required temperature. This is affecting the timing of the harvest, along with the yields and sizes. This is causing particular problems with larger mushrooms and concessions are in place to try to maintain supply.

We expect the situation to improve over the next week.

The lack of water is affecting product quality, leading to smaller produce and lower yields. This is likely to be an issue over the coming year, with reduced volumes, lower quality and greater availability of Class II produce.

Tomatoes will remain challenging through most of August, before improving towards the end of the month. While all varieties are impacted, we are seeing particular issues with beef and plum tomatoes. Quality remains the greatest challenge, with limited shelf life following the hot weather.

Isle of Wight tomatoes continue to improve, although we now expect it to take a further two weeks before things fully recover.

Availability is satisfactory for now, but we expect it to tighten next week as aubergines begin to feel the full impact of the recent heat. Growing conditions have been challenging and are likely to remain so, meaning availability is expected to stay difficult for the remainder of the season.

Availability remains steady, but the sustained heat is putting plants under added pressure. We are monitoring crops closely, especially with a further heatwave coming. We expect conditions to ease once temperatures moderate, which should help bring growth and quality back to normal.

We expect the seasonal peach and nectarine lines to finish in September.