Climate change and droughts are making traditional vegetables harder to grow in the UK, threatening supplies of onions, broccoli, cauliflower, and parsnips, agricultural experts have said. They have advised Britons to prepare to eat more butternut squash, which is now being grown commercially in the UK for the first time because of heatwaves and warmer summers.
Farmers turn to new crops
National Farmers’ Union deputy president Paul Tompkins said the changing climate has forced farmers to seek different crops, and butternut squash has been successfully trialled.
He said: “This isn’t really a time to turn away from our traditional fruit and vegetables. It’s a time to actually support them, and then maybe supplement them with some extra ideas, like butternut squashes.”
“I’ve been to some farms that have successfully trialled new vegetables this year. So we’ve got butternut squashes being grown in the UK commercially for the first time because they like hot, dry weather,” he added.
Imports and early season end
In the past, most of the UK’s butternut squash was imported from abroad when the country was colder and wetter, making it difficult to grow domestically.
The Environment Agency said drought conditions had reduced traditional crop yields and brought the UK salad season to an early end, leaving the country reliant on imports.
Drier diets ahead
Food policy expert and government adviser Tim Lang warned climate change would force Britons to diversify their diets. He added: “We’ll [have] to eat differently over the next 20 years and introduce more diverse crops.”
The warning comes after England and Wales recorded their driest July on record, according to provisional Met Office figures, and suffered five major heatwaves with temperatures topping 38C.
