Farmers in tears as way forward for onion rising in UK ruined by local weather change
Agricultural experts have said Brits should prepare to eat more butternut squash as traditional veg like onions, broccoli, cauliflower, and parsnips struggling in hotter climate
The warm weather has seen dry fields for many this summer (file)(Image: Jacob King/PA Wire)
Boiling Britain is making it easier for farmer to grow crops that haven’t normally been cultivated in our fields. Agricultural experts have said Brits should prepare to eat more butternut squash, which is being grown commercially in UK for the first time because of heatwaves and warmer summers.
Climate change and droughts are making traditional vegetables harder to grow, threatening supplies of onions, broccoli, cauliflower, and parsnips.
National Farmers’ Union deputy president Paul Tompkins said it 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.
While some have enjoyed the sun, its not been good news for some (file)(Image: Amer Ghazzal/REX/Shutterstock)
“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.”
In the past most of the UK’s butternut squash has been imported from abroad when the country was colder and wetter, making it difficult to grow here.
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.
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.
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