Sorry We Have No Turnips

Among those Brexit benefits which the right-leaning part of our free and fearless press missed is a shortage of fruit and vegetables, which may last until, well, May. As the BBC has reported, home grown produce will not immediately save the day: “The Lea Valley Growers Association said major UK growers were delaying planting some crops due to high energy costs”.

I'm sorry I haven't a clue

Do go on. “Major UK supermarkets have been placing limits on fruit and vegetable sales after shortages … The government and industry have blamed bad weather in Spain and North Africa for the squeeze”. Except that supermarkets in France, Spain and Portugal are not suffering shortages.

But back to the Lea Valley Growers Association. “Growers there produce around three-quarters of the UK cucumber and pepper crops, and a lot of aubergines and tomatoes … the situation is being made worse by UK producers delaying planting crops this season … They have been put off by high energy costs for greenhouses, and low prices offered by supermarkets for their produce”. So what is our Government doing about this problem?

“Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said on Thursday that shortages could last for a month, but UK growers think it could be for longer”. Like two and a half months. Also, the LVGA reckons “As Spanish and Moroccan produce starts increasing again, growers in those countries are more likely to sell to buyers closer to home”. Less hassle. Better prices.

So fruit and veg is going to cost more - make that even more - on top of all the price rises that have already been passed on to consumers. The Beeb has also noted that their “Basket of 15 food items” has increased in price by 34% over the past two years, with pasta products seeing a 90% rise. So over to Ms Coffey. Would she care to offer some words of reassurance?

The BBC suggested not: “Environment Secretary Therese Coffey has suggested turnips could be a suitable alternative while other vegetables remain in short supply … Ms Coffey told MPs British consumers should ‘cherish’ home-grown produce”. She also suggested that consumers should consider working more hours or looking for better paid jobs.

Not at a supermarket near you, sorry

Any criticism from Rishi Sunak? “Downing Street insisted Ms Coffey had simply been ‘setting out the importance of celebrating the produce that we grow here in the UK … We don't believe it's for us to tell people what they should or shouldn't buy,’ the prime minister's spokesperson said”. On recent poll puts Labour on 50% and the Tories on 22%. No need to ask why.

So let’s consider the humble turnip as a veg alternative. Stu Brooking did just that, consulting the Asda website to find that … they were out of stock. Louis Henwood looked instead at the Tesco site, and found a similar lack of availability. Griff Griffith, who has to have his fruit and veg delivered, got the same result from both Morrisons and Ocado. Yes they have no turnips.

Our Government appears not to have a Scooby Doo when it comes to food security. There has not been the assistance with fuel costs that would have enabled a winter crop grown in glasshouses. Or the realisation that suppliers from southern Europe and north Africa would prioritise the Single Market above those countries which are outside it. No grasp of economics.

What, then, do they think will get them returned by the voters come the next General Election? It certainly won’t be anything in the area of giving a flying foxtrot about the 90% plus who aren’t rolling in the folding stuff. No, next time we go to the polls to elect a Government, the Tories and their press pals will be scaring the crap out of voters by waging an incessant culture war.

And that isn’t good enough. A Government that cares so little about the people it is supposed to look after first should never expect to be ushered back into power, and certainly not when those people have figured out what is going on. A cabinet of clueless and inept nonentities does no more than tell voters to turn up on polling day and usher them out of office for good.

That polling day needs to come sooner rather than later. That is all.

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