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Date Published: 22/02/2023

ARCHIVED - Is the UK tomato shortage due to Spanish weather or Brexit?

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

Many are claiming that a cold snap in Spain has caused the British tomato shortage, but trade barriers also have their part to play

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Is the UK tomato shortage due to Spanish weather or Brexit?

There is a shortage of tomatoes in many UK supermarkets, and some are even rationing how many tomatoes each customer is allowed to buy.

Asda has set a limit of three per person on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other salad vegetables, while Morrisons has a maximum of two per person. Other supermarkets may soon follow suit and they say the shortages could last for “weeks”.

But there is a lack of consensus as to why there are so few tomatoes in British shops – whether it’s down to the cold weather in Spain right now reducing crop yields or whether it’s an import issue caused by Brexit.

What’s the truth behind the lack of UK tomatoes?

While around one fifth of tomatoes eaten in the UK are grown on British soil, according to the British Tomato Growers’ Association (BTGA), around 80% of all tomatoes sold in the country – around 400,000 tonnes – are imported from countries like Spain, Morocco and the Netherlands, with these first two being key tomato exporters to the UK during the winter.

And southern Europe and northern Africa have experienced a bit of a cold snap recently, which has negatively affected the tomato harvest.

But the Stay European campaign group has pointed out that there is no tomato shortage in Spain or in other EU countries, and lays the blame on Brexit.

“European media are reporting on a UK tomato shortage, not a European one,” they say.

“In fact, Twitter is full of photos from Spain, France, Italy, Greece and beyond showing supermarkets positively heaving with tomatoes.”

They have even issued an open challenge on social media for anyone to send them just one single example of the rationing of fresh produce from anywhere in the EU, and so far nobody has. “Because it doesn’t exist,” they say.

Related story: Spanish government considers a price cut on supermarket meat and fish

They do admit there is some truth in the point about the weather, as Spanish tomato production is actually down, but it’s only the UK that is suffering a shortage.

“There is only one country with a problem, and once again it is the one that has cut itself off from the rest of Europe.”

How can Brexit lead to a supply shortage of tomatoes in the UK?

Since Brexit, there are more checks at the border on produce coming into the UK from the EU, resulting in sometimes long delays and queues at ports.

It is easier for European-based tomato growers to sell their products inside the EU, where there are fewer barriers to trade. When they have less supply to sell, they are choosing to more convenient and cost-effective path of selling within the EU rather than exporting to Britain, claim Stay European.

“Inside the EU, countries can rely on each other when problems like this hit, and rapidly shift around supply chains to keep the shelves well stocked. But outside the EU, we’re on our own,” they conclude.

Image: Archive

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