Vegimans Ramblings
Created | Updated Jun 22, 2003
Hi everyone
May I say:
It's good to be back here on h2g2
Foot and Mouth & Wet Weather
If you have not heard that the UK is in the midst of a Foot and Mouth Crisis, then you must be a visiting Alien {grin}. Much of the country is sealed off, and difficult to reach or pass through.
I do not think many in Britain realise how much it is, or will be, affecting them. OK, they know that meat is in short supply, but that's it. The fact that it affects many other things that have to be transported seems to escape them. Lorry Companies have to check their routes to make sure that they do not pass through restricted zones, sometimes increasing costs which have to be passed on to the consumer.
I see prices rising all the time and, as with many other companies, we are doing our best not to pass these on to the customer, but it is getting increasingly difficult.
Why ? Fruit and Veg! It cannot catch Foot and Mouth?
What you have to realise is that many farmers who, in the main, only grow fruit & veg, also have livestock. So, if they are not allowed to leave the farms, their arable stocks have to stay where they are, rotting in the barns or in the ground because it is not worth digging them up.
This side of the restrictions does not seem to be reported but it is already happening. I was informed by one of my suppliers that swede, which at this time of year normally comes from Cornwall or Scotland, cannot be moved easily out of those areas and may not be available next week. If it gets any worse, supermarket shelves are going to become increasingly empty of UK produce, with more and more bought in from the continent at very high prices.
Prices are at their highest ever at the moment due to bad weather conditions and they are still rising with quality definitely not at its best.
Many farmers are reporting they cannot get onto the land to plant new-season produce. New Potatoes are usually planted by the end of February and, apart from a lucky few, this is yet to be done. The Old Potatoes, in many cases, are already getting short and the quality this year was very low. By May/June, not only will there be very few New English Potatoes but few reasonable old ones either. This could mean very high prices around that time.
Does this mean that the price of chips will go up? Oh dear!... ed
Iceberg lettuce; My local farm, which normally grows enough lettuce to supply much of the South East of England is already two weeks behind schedule. New season, early cabbages, which are normally grown under glass are yet to be planted. The list goes on.
With the land being so wet, the farmers need a good few weeks without rain and reasonably high winds to dry out the earth. This, and the movement restrictions on all kinds of farm produce, could mean we are in for a tough time. Lets hope for some good weather soon so that the farmers can get on to the land to catch up. That, and the epidemic bought under control, would be a great help. If not, it could lead to many farmers giving up altogether... and this would be a shame.
Not All Doom And Gloom
Many crops do not have to be planted - they are already in the ground. Strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus, purple sprouting, most fruits etc. Hopefully, they will not be affected if we can get some drier weather in the next month. The long-term weather forecast says that we are in for a hot summer... if so, the tables could turn for the better... as long as it is not too extreme.
This article was submitted before the current inclement weather which has just struck England... ed
