Britain outside the EU

Originally Posted by Hugh

Because our supply chain challenges since our change in status.

This despite a different reason being offered in every tv and web report over it over the past 2-3 days? The BBC anchor even asked flat out if this was a Brexit issue last night and their correspondent said no - the shortages are due to weather and energy prices and the patchy supplies are affected by the prices retailers had previously agreed to pay suppliers. Two of these three reasons are even given in the link you provided. Brexit, conspicuously, is not.

But hey, don’t let the facts get in the way of prejudice

[Ms NTL]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

So nothing to do with unseasonable weather in Spain and (non-EU) Morocco impacting crops?

Which had no effect in the whole of EU or Spain. They all have tomatoes.

Originally Posted by Ms NTL

Which had no effect in the whole of EU or Spain. They all have tomatoes.

Most British supermarkets also had them, until two of them said they were having trouble and started rationing. Then everyone piled in to their competitors who had stated they had no shortages. And now everybody has shortages and idiots up and down the land will by this time next week have bowls full of rotting salad items in their kitchens.

As reported on the Beeb last night however, supplies in continental Europe have more to do with lower energy prices, proximity to producers and higher negotiated prices with their retail partners.

[Sephiroth]

Or Therese Coffey being a total, out of touch, ass?

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

So nothing to do with unseasonable weather in Spain and (non-EU) Morocco impacting crops?

But something to do with how Spain used to be able to export things here as easily as they would to Germany and now they can't

Originally Posted by Chris

But hey, don’t let the facts get in the way of prejudice

Everything is the fault of Brexit, at least for remoaners remainers, you should know that by now.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

But something to do with how Spain used to be able to export things here as easily as they would to Germany and now they can't

You haven't thought this through properly, have you? You go straight for Brexit with no proof whatsoever.

Spain/Morocco suffer a production shortage of, say, tomatoes. So, up goes the price and the highest bidder gets the goods.

The supermarkets then turn to UK sources of tomatoes; but their costs have risen and many will have stopped producing such products. The supermarkets then turn to Spain/Morocco, who have already sold their tomatoes to the higher bidders.

Hence shortage.

Because there has been no previous supply issue, Brexit cannot have any role in the shortage of tomatoes.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

You haven't thought this through properly, have you? You go straight for Brexit with no proof whatsoever.

Spain/Morocco suffer a production shortage of, say, tomatoes. So, up goes the price and the highest bidder gets the goods.

The supermarkets then turn to UK sources of tomatoes; but their costs have risen and many will have stopped producing such products. The supermarkets then turn to Spain/Morocco, who have already sold their tomatoes to the higher bidders.

Hence shortage.

Because there has been no previous supply issue, Brexit cannot have any role in the shortage of tomatoes.

Clearly, the UK is not known for its tomato-growing facilities in February!

But there is clearly a link between Brexit and the UK's reduced self-sufficiency in food through a reduction in available labour and farming subsidies. A viewing of Series 2 of Clarkson's Farm demonstrates the subsidy issues post-EU.

Regarding the supply issues from the EU

Pekka Pesonen, secretary-general of Copa-Cogeca, the EU farmers’ union, said extra post-Brexit paperwork was also a factor, even though full sanitary and phytosanitary checks on imports have not yet been implemented.

“There is high demand for certain Spanish produce and if Spanish companies are approached, would they opt to sell to the British, or to EU countries which are easier to export to, where they don’t have all the paperwork?” he said.

“It’s more of a hassle exporting from Spain to the UK instead of to Germany. If you pay enough there will always be sources, but I don’t know whether UK retailers are willing to pay extremely high prices.”

https://www.ft.com/content/434b13b1-...1-6bbe8a728870

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

You haven't thought this through properly, have you? You go straight for Brexit with no proof whatsoever.

Spain/Morocco suffer a production shortage of, say, tomatoes. So, up goes the price and the highest bidder gets the goods.

The supermarkets then turn to UK sources of tomatoes; but their costs have risen and many will have stopped producing such products. The supermarkets then turn to Spain/Morocco, who have already sold their tomatoes to the higher bidders.

Hence shortage.

Because there has been no previous supply issue, Brexit cannot have any role in the shortage of tomatoes.

Yeah I haven't thought it through

Get used to it, we are more expensive and there's more red tape than there used to be so whenever there is a shortage of anything we will be at the back of the queue because it's easier and cheaper to export to others first

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Clearly, the UK is not known for its tomato-growing facilities in February!

Clearly, about 60 seconds research would saved you making a false statement …

We produce 100,000 tonnes annually, across 20 nurseries, all of them using indoor facilities. These do not operate seasonally - they’re in heated greenhouses, negating the whole concept of seasonal production.

https://www.fruitnet.com/fresh-produ...246409.article

The UK consumes 500,000 tonnes of tomatoes per year, so domestic production covers 20% of that, which is none too shabby considering we don’t have a tomato-growing climate.

https://www.britishtomatoes.co.uk/ne...it-for-a-queen

Even without Googling, this should have been fairly obvious. Greg Wallace seems to visit these sorts of places on a near weekly basis for one BBC programme or another.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Chris

Clearly, about 60 seconds research would saved you making a false statement …

We produce 100,000 tonnes annually, across 20 nurseries, all of them using indoor facilities. These do not operate seasonally - they’re in heated greenhouses, negating the whole concept of seasonal production.

https://www.fruitnet.com/fresh-produ...246409.article

The UK consumes 500,000 tonnes of tomatoes per year, so domestic production covers 20% of that, which is none too shabby considering we don’t have a tomato-growing climate.

https://www.britishtomatoes.co.uk/ne...it-for-a-queen

Even without Googling, this should have been fairly obvious. Greg Wallace seems to visit these sorts of places on a near weekly basis for one BBC programme or another.

A few more seconds' Googling will have informed you about growing seasons.

23/02/2023. The British Tomato Growers Association (BTGA) said shortages are mainly down to a lack of imports but the local growing season is due to begin soon.

The BTGA said in a statement: “Many people have commented on the current lack of fresh tomatoes in some supermarket stores.

“Whilst this is predominantly a consequence of the lack of imported product at this time of year, the British season will soon begin and we expect significant volumes of British tomatoes on shelves by the end of March and into April 2023.

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/news/na...f-march-81726/

This should have been fairly obvious to most tomato shoppers in the UK.

[Sephiroth]

23/02/2023. The British Tomato Growers Association (BTGA) said shortages are mainly down to a lack of imports but the local growing season is due to begin soon.

The BTGA said in a statement: “Many people have commented on the current lack of fresh tomatoes in some supermarket stores.

“Whilst this is predominantly a consequence of the lack of imported product at this time of year, the British season will soon begin and we expect significant volumes of British tomatoes on shelves by the end of March and into April 2023.

The clue is in the name "BTGA" and the word "predominantly". It's what they don't say that Chris and I have said.

You got it wrong, this time, Andrew.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

The clue is in the name "BTGA" and the word "predominantly". It's what they don't say that Chris and I have said.

You got it wrong, this time, Andrew.

I should have said "February is not known for its tomato harvest", not "February is not known for its tomato facilities" which is a bit daft. Apologies.

There will obviously be some exceptions to this rule but the British tomato season is from March to November so February is not known for its tomato harvest. https://guernseypress.com/news/uk-ne...-end-of-march/

I agree with the BTGA, the current situation is largely due to lack of imports.

[Sephiroth]

The BTGA members stopped producing hot-house tomatoes because of the heating costs and the refusal of UK supermarkets to pay the higher price.

The BTGA seems to me to have been economic with the truth.

[Ms NTL]