An Urgent letter from the BTGA

The British Tomato Growers’ Association (BTGA) represents all British tomato growers supplying the major UK supermarkets and retailers.

The BTGA fully support the recent letter from the ‘British Cucumber Growers’ Association’ regarding the current emergency in the economic sustainability of primary food production in the UK and critical concerns for the future of GB production caused by a multitude of economic issues outside the control of growers.

We are requesting the members of the British Retail Consortium work with their suppliers to support us in this moment of genuine crisis in the food industry.

We seek assistance from the government to form policies protecting food production business from unsustainable rising energy, labour (including availability) and transport costs.

The current complex of issues is a unique conflation of Global, Pan European and UK specific issues, outside the scope of the usual ‘free market’ drivers, seriously threatening the future of the UK protected food production businesses and jobs as never before. These include:

 Energy prices – Recent unprecedented increases in energy prices (+300%)

Labour availability – Critical lack of skilled labour, increased in cost of labour.

Raw materials – unprecedented (up to 400%) rises in costs of raw materials (substrates, fertilisers etc)

Transport – significant increase in costs and shortages in availability

Phytosanitary – threat of the global Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) which can close production sites with significant commercial implications – already causing significant issues, yield losses and additional costs for GB growers

This is an emergency which threatens the future of UK food production businesses, jobs, supply and availability.

The British Tomato Growers’ Association Board

21st September 2021.