An “imbalance of power” in a “broken” food supply chain has caused the current fruit and vegetable shortage seen in some supermarkets, says the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA).
Chair of the association’s field vegetable and protected crops committee Martin Flynn said that this imbalance, favouring the main retailers, has driven margins for growers so tight for horticulture farmers that shortages are “inevitable”.
Based off this, he suggested the shortages will become more common in the future.
While he welcomed the progress of the agricultural and food supply chain bill 2022 through the Dáil, the bill to oversee the running of the new agri food regulator, Flynn said that, on its own, this will not be enough to safeguard the supply of Irish fresh fruit and vegetables.
Inputs
The horticulture farmer also warned that shortages in fruit and vegetables are a “direct result of soaring input costs”.
“This week marks one year on from the invasion of Ukraine. There is still huge concern around the outlook and the cost of input materials and energy costs.
“The price of gas is still four times higher compared to the average of the previous decade. The Horticultural Exceptional Payment Scheme (HEPS) did alleviate some pressure for certain horticultural sectors last year and this support must be put in place again this year,” he said.
Vegetable growers continue to struggle with high input costs, says the IFA. \ Philip Doyle
Flynn said increased input costs are compounded by the price pressure from food buyers.
“High energy prices have meant that growers cannot afford to heat glass in our sector for early crops. We are tired of hearing from Government that more Irish produce is required when we simply cannot afford to expand the shoulders of our season,” he said.
Weather
The IFA field vegetable and protected crops committee chair said that this outcome of higher costs means that there is no room to account for events such as extreme weather.
“It’s clear from the current shortages of vegetables from Spain and Holland that retailers cannot rely on imported produce. The first step that retailers must undertake is to listen to their grower suppliers of Irish produce.
“All horticultural crops from glasshouse crops, strawberries, field vegetables and potatoes are in danger of further decline if changes are not made and support put in place,” Flynn said.
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An “imbalance of power” in a “broken” food supply chain has caused the current fruit and vegetable shortage seen in some supermarkets, says the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA).
Chair of the association’s field vegetable and protected crops committee Martin Flynn said that this imbalance, favouring the main retailers, has driven margins for growers so tight for horticulture farmers that shortages are “inevitable”.
Based off this, he suggested the shortages will become more common in the future.
While he welcomed the progress of the agricultural and food supply chain bill 2022 through the Dáil, the bill to oversee the running of the new agri food regulator, Flynn said that, on its own, this will not be enough to safeguard the supply of Irish fresh fruit and vegetables.
Inputs
The horticulture farmer also warned that shortages in fruit and vegetables are a “direct result of soaring input costs”.
“This week marks one year on from the invasion of Ukraine. There is still huge concern around the outlook and the cost of input materials and energy costs.
“The price of gas is still four times higher compared to the average of the previous decade. The Horticultural Exceptional Payment Scheme (HEPS) did alleviate some pressure for certain horticultural sectors last year and this support must be put in place again this year,” he said.
Vegetable growers continue to struggle with high input costs, says the IFA. \ Philip Doyle
Flynn said increased input costs are compounded by the price pressure from food buyers.
“High energy prices have meant that growers cannot afford to heat glass in our sector for early crops. We are tired of hearing from Government that more Irish produce is required when we simply cannot afford to expand the shoulders of our season,” he said.
Weather
The IFA field vegetable and protected crops committee chair said that this outcome of higher costs means that there is no room to account for events such as extreme weather.
“It’s clear from the current shortages of vegetables from Spain and Holland that retailers cannot rely on imported produce. The first step that retailers must undertake is to listen to their grower suppliers of Irish produce.
“All horticultural crops from glasshouse crops, strawberries, field vegetables and potatoes are in danger of further decline if changes are not made and support put in place,” Flynn said.
Read more
Meat factories and supermarkets to reveal margins and salaries
Tomatoes and cucumbers in short supply
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