Lee Stiles, secretary of the Lea Valley Growers Association (LVGA), which represents around 80 growers of protected edibles, has told the FPJ that cucumber crops have been particularly affected by high energy prices, and that last year a ‘perfect storm’ of factors resulted in a market-damaging swing from shortages to oversupply.
He explained that over the last few years, high energy prices forced growers in the Lea Valley to plant six to eight weeks later than normal as customers were unwilling to increase the price paid to cover additional energy costs.
“The problem last year was that the Dutch also planted later, and the Spanish and the Moroccans kept their season going for longer because they’d suffered losses over the winter. This meant there was a perfect storm and the market just fell through the floor,” he said. “We’re hoping that’s not going to repeat itself this year.”
He added that while energy prices have fallen back recently, the reductions came too late for growers to revise their planting plans. Looking ahead, new border checks, changes to the Seasonal Workers Scheme and the prospect of a general election all add extra uncertainty.
“There are border checks coming in and nobody really knows what’s going to happen there,” he added. “We’ve already had issues getting plants in from Holland where the Dutch propagators haven’t completed the paperwork correctly and the plants have been held up at the border. It’s quite obvious that there are going to be teething problems where plant imports are concerned. And when it comes to checks on fresh produce, nobody really knows what will happen.”
He also points out that, “UK growers are still competing with EU and Moroccan producers that are subsidised by their governments to some extent, so there isn’t a level playing field with imports. It’s still a difficult time and there’s a lot of uncertainty.
“Some big UK glasshouse producers have gone out of business in recent months, and to put it simply, we have a lot of middle-aged members who are wondering whether it’s worth the hassle anymore. Investments and long-term planning are really difficulty, and many growers continue to operate on a season-by-season, hand-to-mouth business model.”