Fruit and vegetable shortages could be ‘tip of the iceberg’, farming union warns

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The shortage of some fruit and vegetables in UK supermarkets could be “the tip of the iceberg”, a farming union has warned. Tom Bradshaw, deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union, said a reliance on imports has left the UK vulnerable to “shock weather events”. “It’s really interesting that before Brexit we didn’t used to source anything, or very little, from Morocco but we’ve been forced to go further afield and now these climatic shocks becoming more prevalent have had a real impact on the food available on our shelves today.” On Wednesday, Tesco followed Aldi, Asda and Morrisons in introducing customer limits on certain fresh produce as shortages left supermarket shelves bare. Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association, has reportedly said supermarkets could also experience shortages of carrots, cabbage and cauliflower within weeks.