Threat of more vegetable rationing and empty shelves as farmers struggle with soaring energy costs: NFU president warns supermarkets could limit sale of tomatoes, potatoes, cucumber and broccoli as UK growers are forced to switch off greenhouses

• Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and cauliflower limited in stores
• Many shoppers across the country have been growing frustrated by shortages 

Sales of British vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumber and cauliflower, could be limited as farmers struggle with soaring energy costs, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has warned. 

Minette Batters, president of the England and Wales industry group, said production of a variety of vegetables grown in heated buildings was already decreasing.

She said at the NFU conference in Birmingham: ‘Everybody wants to avoid rationing, effectively, which is what we saw with eggs in December but I think there are going to be challenges on availability of some food items’.

The farming union chief said that peppers and other salad vegetables grown indoors were at risk.

Other ‘field veg’ including potatoes, cauliflower and purple sprouting broccoli are also at risk of being impacted, she said.

Empty aisles at a Tesco store in Liverpool as a shortage of products continues to hit supermarkets

Vegetables at risk of being rationed include cauliflowers, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and cucumbers

Minette Batters, head of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), pictured in December last year

But she added that the ‘last thing anybody wants to do is to create a level of panic buying’.

It comes as supermarkets are rationing fruit and vegetables as shelves continue to remain bare in stores across the country.

Supermarkets are rationing foods such as tomatoes and peppers as supplies run empty in a number of stores across the country.

Why supermarkets are facing shortages of some fruit and veg 

Many of Britain’s major supermarkets have blamed recent shortages on ‘adverse weather conditions across Spain and Morocco’, which has resulted in fewer imports from the Continent.

However, British farmers insist a far bigger issue is soaring energy costs, which have forced growers to switch off greenhouses as they desperately try to make ends meet.

A combination of the two means supermarkets have been unable to get their hands on fruit and veg such as tomatoes either from abroad, or those that are home-grown.

As a result, some stores are restricting such items to two or three per customer to try and stretch supplies to meet demand. 

Olly Harrison, 42, who owns Water Lane Farm in Merseyside, told MailOnline: ‘It’s that simple: if something requires energy to be produced, and the cost of energy is getting higher and higher, no one is going to grow it.’

Shoppers in some Asda stores have been told that they can buy up to three packs each of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries at a time as supplies run empty in a number of outlets.

Meanwhile at some Morrisons stores, some salad items are being restricted to just two per customer. 

The crisis has developed in recent weeks due to soaring energy costs which have forced British farmers to switch off greenhouses as they desperately try to make ends meet.

Meanwhile, a ‘perfect storm’ of flooding, cold temperatures and cancelled ferries have caused major supply problems on the Continent. 

Supermarkets have insisted that supplies will improve ‘in the coming days’, but Olly Harrison, 42, who owns Water Lane Farm in Merseyside, told MailOnline he could see the problem rumbling on for many weeks to come.

‘Shoppers are going to have to get used to the sight of empty shelves,’ he said.

‘People are going to have to start eating some items like tomatoes seasonally again, because at the moment, without help, they just can’t be produced in this way.

‘It’s that simple: if something requires energy to be produced, and the cost of energy is getting higher and higher, no one is going to grow it.’

Mr Harrison, who has developed a strong presence on TikTok with his daily farming videos, was speaking from the National Farmers’ Union conference, where industry leaders have been making the case for more support. 

He added: ‘There’s definitely a sombre mood here because this current system is broken, even though we’ve been telling the government that for a long time – people can’t lose money any longer.’

His concerns were echoed by Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers’ Association, who warned that Britain was in for a ‘difficult year’.

He also revealed that farmers are now choosing to plant wheat over vegetables as they generate greater profit for them.

‘Growers simply aren’t going to put crops in the ground if they can’t see a viable return from them,’ he told inews. 

‘At the moment the rate of inflation for fresh produce is significantly below the general rate of inflation for food. 

‘[Supermarkets] are not prepared to pass on the costs and there isn’t enough money in the category to provide the sorts of returns everybody needs to keep going.’ 

It comes after one shopper, Hilary Paterson-Jones, said she had to visit four supermarkets in her home town of Holyhead, Anglesey, to complete her weekly shop.

Shoppers in some Asda shops have been told they can buy up to three packs of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries at a time as supplies run low in a number of outlets

The crisis has developed in recent weeks due to soaring energy costs which have forced British farmers to switch off greenhouses as they desperately try and make ends meet

Meanwhile, a ‘perfect storm’ of flooding, cold temperatures and cancelled ferries have caused major supply problems on the continent

She said: ‘There was hardly any fresh produce in Tesco. In Morrisons I asked a young staff member what was going on and he said there was nothing in the back stores. 

‘It was the same in Aldi and Lidl, it seemed to be affecting all the supermarkets.

‘Shortages have been getting worse in recent months but I was shocked to see so many empty shelves at 10am on a Saturday morning. 

‘Things can get bad during the summer when the tourists arrive, but nothing like this. Prices are going through the roof but a lack of basic foodstuffs is unacceptable.’

After sharing her concerns on social media, Ms Paterson-Jones was contacted by scores of other people from around Britain. 

One couldn’t get apples, another struggled with cabbages, a third was stumped for orange juice. Tomatoes and iceberg lettuce proved particularly difficult to buy.

In one Morrisons store, staff put up a sign apologising for the disruption. 

It read: ‘Availability across our tomato range has been significantly impacted by adverse weather conditions across Spain and Morocco. The current shortage is likely to improve within a couple of weeks.’

An Asda spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Like other supermarkets, we are experiencing sourcing challenges on some products that are grown in southern Spain and north Africa. 

‘We have introduced a temporary limit of three of each product on a very small number of fruit and vegetable lines, so customers can pick up the products they are looking for.’

A sign at a Tesco supermarket in Liverpool reveals how fruit and veg stocks have run low

Shadow Environment Secretary Jim McMahon, who will speak at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) conference today, told Sky News how soaring energy costs in the UK were also a major reason for shortages

Industry expert Tim O’Malley said the single biggest factor behind the crisis was ‘Mother Nature’ and specifically volatile weather

Shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon, who will speak at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) conference today, told Sky News how soaring energy costs in the UK were also a major reason for shortages. 

‘You’ve got farmers who feel so frustrated that they haven’t got government support and if you’re a consumer you’re going into the supermarket and seeing that shelves are empty,’ he said.

‘Why? Because the Government are not on the side of farmers or on the side of food security, and in the end, consumers are paying the price.

‘We do grow produce here but it’s a matter of fact that we’re not growing tomatoes for instance because the cost of energy in the greenhouses is so high that they’ve just been turned off. That is a contributing factor to why there are gaps on the supermarket shelves.

‘The reason you can’t buy eggs on Pancake Day in many supermarkets is because of avian flu. The Government could have responded much quicker to that and farmers feel very frustrated with the way they’ve been treated.’

Mr McMahon’s comments were backed up by the NFU’s vice president David Exwood.

He told MailOnline: ‘We are repeatedly seeing a predictable combination of factors such as energy costs and weather leading to empty supermarket shelves. 

‘Our UK food resilience is currently gone. The Government needs to take this seriously.

‘Producers must have the confidence they need, working within a fair and transparent supply chain, ensuring fair and sustainable returns so they can do what they do best – produce nutritious, high quality British food to meet demand from shoppers.’

Frost damage to home-grown British crops such as carrots, cabbages, parsnips and cauliflowers also means many fields have been written off

Some farming campaigners say red tape associated with Brexit is also playing a part

Tim O’Malley, of major importer Nationwide Produce, said volatile growing conditions had seen wholesale spot prices for fresh produce lines soar by as much as 300 per cent.

Frost damage to home-grown British crops such as carrots, cabbages, parsnips and cauliflowers also means many fields have been written off.

Some farming campaigners say red tape associated with Brexit is also playing a part. 

Mr O’Malley said the single biggest factor behind the crisis was ‘Mother Nature’ and volatile weather.

He added: ‘I can honestly say that in the 40 years I’ve been in this trade, I’ve never seen such high spot prices across such a broad range of products for such a prolonged period of time.’

He said the delivered price for a box of peppers was up from £8-£9 to around £22, while a box of tomatoes was up from £7-£8 to £14.

Courgettes have risen from £5-£7 to £12, iceberg lettuces from £6-£8 to £19, and Dutch onions from £250-£270 per ton to £700.

Mr O’Malley said: ‘It’s the perfect storm of terrible growing weather and, of course, inflation.

‘It started with the heatwave and drought this summer throughout Europe. Then we had a very mild autumn and then we were plunged into a deep freeze.

‘Just three weeks ago Ibiza was covered in snow. Temperatures dropped to -15C (5F) in Catalonia while at the same time, the overnight low here was -8C (18F) in Oxfordshire.

‘Spain is our main source of fresh produce in winter by far. They’ve pretty much gone straight from a red-hot summer to a freezing cold winter with no autumn in between.

‘All this has led to a major reduction in yields, reduction in size, quality issues, viruses.’

Mr O’Malley also pointed to prolonged periods of sub-zero temperatures in Morocco, another major source of fresh produce, notably tomatoes.

Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, said: ‘Difficult weather conditions in the south of Europe and northern Africa have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables including tomatoes.

‘However, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce.’

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