Get used to wonky vegetables say farmers as hot weather ravages crops

We must get used to wonky vegetables in the supermarkets, farmers warn, as Brits share their pictures of weird and wonky potatoes, onions and carrots. 

Shoppers are being urged to ‘pull together’ and buy wonky vegetables which have been razed by the lack of rainfall. 

A drought has been declared across 14 regions and the hot weather, which is set to continue, will only make the situation worse, according to experts. 

Foods such as potatoes, carrots and onions will be smaller and misshaped. 

The National Farmers Union (NFU) told the BBC that vegetables this autumn ‘may not look normal, but will taste the same’.

‘Consumers have been conditioned to believe that a potato looks a certain way.’

Farmers and experts have said we need to get used to wonky and warped vegetables like the carrots and parsnips pictured above after a drought was declared in 14 regions of the UK  

One social media user shared a picture of a large carrot which appeared to be crossing its two long legs

Tim Young (pictured) is giving away some of his onions to stop them from going to waste 

The leader of the NFU said vegetables said vegetables may not look normal, like the one pictured above, but they will taste the same

There are fears the extreme heat will have affected the output of thousands of farmers. 

One of those it has affected it Tim Young who invited people to come down and take any of the 40 tonnes of onions which were damaged by soaring temperatures and downy mildew.

The hot weather over the last few months led to part of his crops becoming infected with fusarium rot- a type of fungus which causes the produce to internally rot. 

He could not risk storing the onions because of the risk of the small proportion of diseased ones infecting the healthier ones.

Even with a significant amount of rainfall throughout the autumn the current situation is unlikely to improve, according to experts. 

The last time the UK experienced a severe drought was in 2018 when crops, grass, and feed and livestock were impacted and led to inflated prices at the supermarkets. 

Meanwhile supermarket shelves could be affected by staff shortages and war in Ukraine. 

Millions of vegetables will be left unpicked and crops worth £60m will go to waste, according to the National Farmers’ Union.