Britain facing shortage of greens

High Street supermarkets could be faced with a shortage of British-grown brassicas in the autumn and winter as this summer's dry weather affects growing conditions, producers have warned.

The main planting season for popular brassica crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, is now under way, with most of the UK crop usually planted by the end of July or early August.

But the unusually dry and hot recent weather is threatening this year's crops as dry conditions can stunt their growth, said Philip Effingham, chairman of the Brassica Growers' Association.

"We could see significant potential falls in production during the period of September through to early November," he told trade magazine The Grocer.

British-grown crops such as leeks and lettuces are irrigated and not likely to be hit so badly but as brassica crops are mainly grown on land that cannot be irrigated, they were "likely to be the difficult ones," added another grower.