How to stop the give away veg.

[Devil's advocate]

Its a high price year for veg there is a shortage.

Yet supermarkets are giving it away.

It is not grower funded this is loss leading by supermarkets & must be costing a lot.

As farmers we should clear all the shelves & feed it to our animals. Just spending a tenner would likely cost the supermarkets £50 to a £100. Strip them bare that is how to hurt supermarkets. Then go do your proper shopping in the High Street.

 

[HAM135]

Its a high price year for veg there is a shortage.

Yet supermarkets are giving it away.

It is not grower funded this is loss leading by supermarkets & must be costing a lot.

As farmers we should clear all the shelves & feed it to our animals. Just spending a tenner would likely cost the supermarkets £50 to a £100. Strip them bare that is how to hurt supermarkets. Then go do your proper shopping in the High Street.

Clear the shelves then sell it back to them

 

[Kidds]

Its a high price year for veg there is a shortage.

Yet supermarkets are giving it away.

It is not grower funded this is loss leading by supermarkets & must be costing a lot.

As farmers we should clear all the shelves & feed it to our animals. Just spending a tenner would likely cost the supermarkets £50 to a £100. Strip them bare that is how to hurt supermarkets. Then go do your proper shopping in the High Street.

Happy to do that if it is definitely not grower funded.

 

[Bogweevil]

They will be sorry, from The Grocer:

What’s the outlook for fruit & veg supplies next year?

By Grace Duncan15 December 2023

The havoc wreaked on supplies by volatile weather is not abating

In fresh food, 2023 has been dominated by shortages: from eggs to cucumbers and potatoes to tomatoes, the category has been blighted by reduced supply as well as higher prices.

Weather has been a core factor, wreaking havoc on planting. Growers have contended with a frosty winter followed by a wet summer and delayed autumn. And that’s before the 300% higher than long-term average rainfall seen in the past couple of months.

So, as we leave 2023, can we hope those supply issues will go with it, to be replaced by a steadier stream of food in 2024?

Unfortunately, volatile weather is already causing problems that will run well into the new year. “The recent poor weather and flooding has made harvesting some crops such as potatoes a particular challenge,” says NFU horticulture and potatoes board chair Martin Emmett.

Not only does waterlogged land pose a challenge for harvesting, it also affects how long potatoes can be stored, due to the speed at which they rot. This, says Mintec analyst Harry Campbell, may cause more supply issues down the line.

“A lot of growers are a bit worried about meeting their longer-term contracts because they may not have the crop available, which is driving the markets up,” he adds.

There may also be an impact on future crops like brassicas in the new year, says British Growers Association CEO Jack Ward. The consistently wet weather over the past couple of months is likely to delay spring crops planting as the ground won’t have dried out, he adds.

Such delays when winter harvests have already been diminished may result in a period of gaps on shelves, Ward warns.

“We are seeing a much more volatile climate and, when our food supply depends on that climate, we need to have a rethink about what the system looks like,” Ward argues.

“Not only is there a possibility we don’t have [the supply] but there is a distinct possibility other parts of Europe haven’t got it either.”

European shortages
This is particularly the case for salad lines, as witnessed at the start of 2023, when poor weather in southern Europe caused shortages of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. There is a risk this could be repeated in 2024, which is forecasted to be particularly hot and dry thanks to the El Niño climate phenomenon.

These weather issues will be compounded by the scaling back of UK production.

As for the British apple industry, “the picture is still not great”, says British Apples & Pears chair Ali Capper. A third of new trees were cancelled last year and 41% of those planned for planting in the winter of 23/24 have also been cancelled.

While the reduction in planting won’t cause immediate supply issues, it signals a long-term decline in the availability of a British fruit that will be difficult to reverse, Capper says.

Causing more immediate supply issues is the situation in glass house-grown crops. Cucumber growers in the UK finished early this year due to low returns from retailers and many intend to start later next year, in March or April instead of January, for the same reason, says Lee Stiles, secretary for the Lea Valley Growers Association.

This lack of returns from retailers has been long touted as a driving factor in declining grower confidence, leading to a drop in British production. Without the investment from retailers, growers have reported feeling they are taking on a disproportionate risk.

“People will be looking ahead to next year and going, ‘Well based on this year, do I want the same level of exposure to risk?’,” says Ward.

He adds: “The important message [is] about making sure the growers are given the right signals by the retailers to go ahead and plant next year.”

 

[neilo]

Its a high price year for veg there is a shortage.

Yet supermarkets are giving it away.

It is not grower funded this is loss leading by supermarkets & must be costing a lot.

As farmers we should clear all the shelves & feed it to our animals. Just spending a tenner would likely cost the supermarkets £50 to a £100. Strip them bare that is how to hurt supermarkets. Then go do your proper shopping in the High Street.

I'm not falling for that. You sneaky veg growers are just trying to get us to go out and boost your sales...

 

[delilah]

Everyone on here should be signed up to a weekly veg box delivery. Fair return for the grower, next to no packaging. I can't think of a conceivable reason for anyone connected to farming not to. (save the small minority who will genuinely be growing their weekly needs).

 

[kiwi pom]

They certainly don't give it away here

Everyone on here should be signed up to a weekly veg box delivery. Fair return for the grower, next to no packaging. I can't think of a conceivable reason for anyone connected to farming not to. (save the small minority who will genuinely be growing their weekly needs).

How much is a veg box and what do you get for the money?
Seems a good idea, if not too expensive.

 

[delilah]

They certainly don't give it away here

How much is a veg box and what do you get for the money?
Seems a good idea, if not too expensive.

couple of examples. £9 delivered. That's organic, locally there are non-organic versions I haven't looked at the price but clearly cheaper.

 

[renewablejohn]

Everyone on here should be signed up to a weekly veg box delivery. Fair return for the grower, next to no packaging. I can't think of a conceivable reason for anyone connected to farming not to. (save the small minority who will genuinely be growing their weekly needs).

Why sign up to a veg box when as a farmer its just as easy to grow your own.

 

[bobk]

I was vilified when criticising Aldi , chickens are roosting

 

[delilah]

Why sign up to a veg box when as a farmer its just as easy to grow your own.

We don't though do we. Same reason as we don't fix our own teeth or make our own clothes. Specialism is what got us out of the caves.

 

[neilo]

I was vilified when criticising Aldi , chickens are roosting

ALL supermarket retailers are where they are because they are ruthless businesses. None are in it to help their suppliers.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

I cannot see the problem
Let them sell it a little as they want

 

[bobk]

ALL supermarket retailers are where they are because they are ruthless businesses. None are in it to help their suppliers.

Indeed , but who has set the standard ?

 

[Devil's advocate]

I cannot see the problem
Let them sell it a little as they want

Small retailers are destroyed by this & no subs for them. Just a big rate bill.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Small retailers are destroyed by this & no subs for them. Just a big rate bill.

Is that not the same with everything,

 

[Devil's advocate]

Happy to do that if it is definitely not grower funded.

If any grower is selling potatoes at 75p per 25kg sack ie £30 per ton he is part of the problem

 

[Devil's advocate]

Is that not the same with everything,

No

Do you have other examples where product is sold at one tenth of the buying price.

I must admit, I wish they sold John Deere tractors.

 

[Devil's advocate]

Local wholesaler went with 30 staff & cleared all the shelves. But they were banned from entering 3 supermarkets ever again. They should have been a bit more sneaky they went in their uniforms.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

No

Do you have other examples where product is sold at one tenth of the buying price.

I must admit, I wish they sold John Deere tractors.

Buy one get one free!