SPROUT OF ORDER
Heat is killing Christmas fave
BRITS face a shortage of Brussels sprouts this Christmas because of the heatwave.
Growers of sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli have warned of “major concerns” for this year’s produce. Many crops are “unusable” due to the sweltering temperatures. Growers said conditions for their produce had been “extremely tough”. They blamed the combination of a cold start to spring followed by the prolonged drought this summer.
One veg fan tweeted: “It’s not Christmas dinner without a sprout!”
But a sprout-hater wrote: “It’s a Christmas miracle!”
And another said: “I won’t have to hide mine in my pocket now.” Jack Ward, head of the Brassica Growers Association, warned that “the hot, dry weather” has led to concerns for the festive harvest.
Ali Capper, chairman of the National Farmers’ Union’s horticulture and potatoes board, said: “Most crops have been affected quite badly.
“Some crops will have failed altogether because of the extreme heat.
“Some farmers will have suffered very significant losses.”
The warning comes as the UK braces itself for the return of the heatwave this week. Parts of the country will bake in 27C temperatures by Wednesday.
But the mercury is set to fall on Friday in time for the bank holiday.
The Met Office said: “Humid for most parts and feeling very warm in any sunshine, with warm nights too.”
The Star Says: Page 6 Edinburgh study found. Professor David Reay said: “The scale of food that is wasted when it is perfectly safe to eat is shocking at a time when one-tenth of the world’s population is perpetually underfed.”