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Farmers warn over potato blight Farmers warn over potato blight
(1 day later)
Potato blight is spreading following the recent wet weather, the National Farmers' Union has warned.Potato blight is spreading following the recent wet weather, the National Farmers' Union has warned.
Farmers have been unable to spray their crops to protect them from the fungal disease which causes plants to rot.Farmers have been unable to spray their crops to protect them from the fungal disease which causes plants to rot.
The union said cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli and other vegetables were also suffering in the conditions.The union said cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli and other vegetables were also suffering in the conditions.
The Processed Vegetable Growers Association has previously said frozen pea prices may rise, because a quarter of the crop could have been destroyed.The Processed Vegetable Growers Association has previously said frozen pea prices may rise, because a quarter of the crop could have been destroyed.
NFU horticulture board chairman Richard Hirst said that if there was a crop in the country which did not have the potato blight "it is a miracle".NFU horticulture board chairman Richard Hirst said that if there was a crop in the country which did not have the potato blight "it is a miracle".
"The problem is that conditions are so wet that crops are full of these diseases," he said."The problem is that conditions are so wet that crops are full of these diseases," he said.
Mr Hirst said the land on his farm in Norfolk was the wettest it had been for 25 years.Mr Hirst said the land on his farm in Norfolk was the wettest it had been for 25 years.
He said fewer customers were going to pick-your-own farms, and salad growers were experiencing less demand.He said fewer customers were going to pick-your-own farms, and salad growers were experiencing less demand.
The British Retail Consortium has also said sales of salad produce, some soft fruit, and barbecue food such as burgers and sausages had all been hit. The Food and Drink Federation's (FDF)'s Frozen Vegetable Committee warned of a "disastrous" pea harvest, currently facing a crop output of 70% - a figure that is falling every day that the rain continues.
Sarah Pettitt, chairman of the committee, said: "Other crops such as broad beans, green beans and brassicas are also being seriously affected, particularly broad beans, and the potential green bean crop, where in certain parts of the country we have only 25% drilled."
The British Retail Consortium has also said sales of salad produce, some soft fruit, and barbecue food, such as burgers and sausages, had all been hit.