Brexit not to blame for tomato shortage

Jonathan Sheldrake blames Brexit for the current shortage of tomatoes on supermarket shelves.

There are of course a number of factors for shortages, including poor growing conditions caused by the weather, as well as supply chain issues created by major retailers operating ‘just in time’ policies which are okay when all is going well, but catastrophic when a hiccup occurs.

The EU has, for many years, been the major supplier of tomatoes to the UK and nothing has changed, they are still the largest supplier in a market worth over 250 million euros a year.

Tiny Morocco’s share of the market has grown over a period covering 2006 to 2016 by 165 per cent, but to put that in context, in 2017 Morocco supplied the UK with 49,000 tonnes of tomatoes which paled into insignificance compared to Spain’s 107,000 tonnes and Holland’s 161,000 tonnes.

Today the UK produces 68,000 tonnes, down from 134,000 tonnes in 1990.

Dutch tomato growers are producing less due to higher energy costs, and the UK’s reliance on the EU has proven to be a liability as Spanish suppliers are having problems meeting their customer’s schedules.

Interestingly, Morocco is now supplying more tomatoes into the EU that Spain and Holland and has become the EU’s second largest supplier.

Jonathan is wrong to suggest pre-Brexit times were ‘milk and honey’.

The issues about supply of tomatoes and other items is less to do with the UK leaving the EU political construct and everything to do with world economics, and poor growing conditions.

Interestingly Morocco is restricting exports to West African countries to reduce domestic process and protect its European (including the UK) market.

Where I do agree with Jonathan is that extra EU imposed cost and bureaucracy of getting the fresh fruit and vegetables across the Channel is clearly proving too costly for some producers, which is why tomatoes are reaching supermarkets in France, Belgium or the Netherlands but not Britain.

Although upon a further reading of Jonathan’s letter he doesn’t actually acknowledge the EU’s actions to be in any way responsible.

Des Morgan

Caraway Drive

Swindon

Boris Johnson should shut up and go away

Yesterday’s Man, Boris Johnson, is attempting to thwart the efforts of Rishi Sunak to resolve Johnson’s own botched efforts to “get Brexit done”.

The claim was that Brexit was about taking back control, yet there were over 40,000 migrants arriving on our shores by boat last year.

Food and labour shortages add further to the uncertainty. So much for taking back control!

Growth was promised, but growth needs plenty of additional skilled workers, and we have just an ageing population.

This Tory government simply do not understand basic economic realities.

The emerging toxic inadequacies of Boris Johnson’s former Cabinet - bullying by Raab, Williamson and Patel, failure to pay taxes, Zahawi, and now the revelations about Hancock - show just how ineffective and idle Johnson was as a manager and a prime minister.

Now, he is set on stirring up more Tory infighting, making it more certain that the party is even less electable, whilst in the meantime he tours the world making money from his glib, empty sound bites.

Sincerely,

Pete Milory,

Bellefield Crescent,

Trowbridge