Veg prices may be higher after storms, say farmers

Some farmers say there could be less vegetables like potatoes and cauliflower

Shoppers in Devon and Cornwall could see higher prices for vegetables after storms and rain in the past few months affected crops, some Cornish farmers have said.

The farmers said vegetables such as potatoes and cauliflowers could also be in shorter supply.

Potato farmer Philip Pryor said it had been "a very challenging year" due to the weather, and a wet autumn meant some vegetables had been harder to harvest.

Nicky Carlyon, head of the Farm Crops competition at Truro Primestock Show, said she believed crops were about "two weeks behind".

Ms Carlyon said: "The weather is key to agriulture, to the production of our food.

"If you can't harvest it, it's going to push the price up because there's going to be less of it.

"We're going to have a lot of cauliflower in January, when really we want it in December before Christmas."

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said shoppers should be "reassured that growers are doing all they can" to fill the shelves.

NFU horticulture and potatoes board chair Martin Emmett said: "The recent poor weather, flooding and heavy rain has made harvesting some crops such as potatoes a particular challenge as some land became waterlogged or flooded.

"We have no expectations of shortages currently, but it remains important that we make the best of what’s available with supermarkets offering flexibility to growers when it comes to crop specification."