A LACK OF vegetable freezing capacity in the UK has resulted in hundreds of acres of cauliflowers going to waste this year.

According to Alistair Ewen, managing director of East of Scotland Growers and chairman of the British Brassica Growers‘ Association, the UK no longer has sufficient vegetable freezing capacity to cope with any unexpected surge in supply from farms.

As a result, when this summer‘s unseasonal weather resulted in three batches of cauliflowers ripening at once, there was no market for much of the glut.

“Farmers immediately blamed the supermarkets, believing that they had reneged on contracts,” said Mr Ewen.

“But there is no question about it. Supermarkets did not renege on contracts.

“The problem that we had, as did every other growers‘ co-op across Britain, was that we couldn‘t get everything frozen.”

But Mr Ewen suggested that perhaps the situation would have been different if retailers had not continued in recent years to source more frozen vegetables from abroad.

“There has been a general swing for supermarkets to source product from abroad, rather than source UK frozen product,” he said. “And that is based solely on price.”

Mr Ewen added: “If the UK supermarkets had shown more commitment to UK growers, then there might have been greater investment from the industry in freezing capacity.”

One farmer in Fife, who had to watch 5ha (12 acres) of cauliflowers go to waste because of this year‘s sudden glut of production, is typical of many who have contacted FW.

He is deeply critical of the supermarkets for sourcing frozen vegetables from countries like Poland.

But, because he grows other field vegetables for the supermarkets, he is unwilling to speak openly because he fears reprisals from the retailers.