Sometimes known as the ‘cucumber capital’ of the UK, the Lea Valley is at been at the centre of protected edible cropping in the country, but now growers say that rising energy prices, on top of industry challenges such as access to labour, could mean no greenhouse crops are grown in the region within years.
According to a report in the Guardian, up to a third of the production area (60 ha out of a total area of 180 ha) has already applied to replace glasshouses with new housing estates or industrial developments.
“Without government assistance for British food producers, the largest hub in the UK’s glasshouse sector could face extinction within the next two years,” said Lee Stiles, the LVGA secretary, “To be concreted over by houses and industry.
“The association has 80 growers and 450 acres of glasshouses. Twenty growers have permission for housing, representing 100 acres, and another 10 have permission to develop their 50 acres for light industrial uses.”
Since Brexit, the industry has struggled to recruit the 2,200 workers it needs each year, and the seasonal workers scheme established by Brexit has a 6-month time limit, meaning greenhouse growers who producer for 10 or 11 months of the year have to recruit twice a season.
The industry is now reeling from huge rises in gas and energy costs. “The largest input costs for growers used to be labour followed by energy,” Stiles said. “Now it is energy followed by labour. Half of growers did not plant when vital supplies of gas for greenhouses soared from 30p a therm in January and has now hit £4 a therm.
“In the 14 years I have been in this job, this is the worst I have ever seen. Ninety per cent of our members are family businesses, traditionally employing 2,500 people. We have only one large corporate.”
According to Stiles, 40 growers, representing 200 acres of production, have not planted crops this year, while another 10 have ceased trading.