Cold weather in April could lead to a shortage of British apples, pears and plums, farmers have warned.
Alison Capper, chairman of the National Farmers’ Union horticulture board, said she feared her own apple harvest, which includes varieties such as Gala, Braeburn and Red Windsor apples, could drop by 70-80% as a result of the cold snap.
English winemakers have already reported “catastrophic” crop damage after the worst frost in a generation wiped out at least half of this year’s grape harvest.
Capper, who grows apples and hops in Worcestershire, said fruit farmers were playing a waiting game after last month’s Arctic blast damaged fruit blossom at a crucial stage of development.
“There’s damage to both top and stone fruit, which includes apples, pears, plums and cherries,” she said.
“But it’s difficult to know what this means until we see the fruit sets, which is the point when it becomes clear how much fruit has stayed on the trees. However, I think there is enough evidence there will be less English fruit this year.”
The driest winter period in 20 years is also causing problems for arable and livestock farmers. Growers in the Stour Marsh and Romney areas of Kent have started irrigating their crops six weeks earlier than usual, while a shortage of grass could push up animal feed costs.
Decent rains in May and June could put many crops back on track but the NFU says fields planted with spring barley, wheat and sugar beet are struggling to develop, which could lead to lower yields.
Capper said last month’s plummeting temperatures would not only affect the size of fruit growers’ harvests but that homegrown apples and pears would look less perfect as frost can cause skin damage, an effect called russeting.
“We will need our retailers and customers to be less fussy this year if they want beautiful-tasting English apples,” she said.
