UK sleepwalking into food supply crisis, says farming union – Saudi Gazette

UK sleepwalking into food supply crisis, says farming union – Saudi Gazette

Yields of tomatoes and other crops will likely slump to record lows this year, according to the farmers' union.

LONDON — The UK is "sleepwalking" into a food supply crisis and the government must step in to help farmers, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has warned.

Yields of tomatoes and other crops will likely slump to record lows this year, it said, with potential supply problems ahead as already seen with eggs.

Soaring fuel, fertiliser and feed costs were putting farmers under severe pressure, it added.

The government said the UK has a "highly resilient food supply chain".

Some supermarkets are rationing egg sales after farmers cut back or halted production because of rising costs - a situation made worse by the Avian flu outbreak.

However, the NFU warned that food producers in other areas were now facing difficulties.

It said production of energy-intensive crops like tomatoes, cucumbers and pears was likely to hit its lowest level this year since records began in 1985.

It also said milk prices were likely to fall below the cost of production, while beef farmers were considering reducing the number of cows they breed.

Rising costs were to blame, it said, with fertiliser prices for farmers more than tripling since 2019 and the