British cucumber grower hit by cheap imports
Tony Montalbano (left) with his father, Andrea, and brother, Gianni © Four Acre Salads Cheap food imports have become a growing threat for a British cucumber grower who fears for the future of his business.
Tony Montalbano, a third-generation cucumber grower from Green Acres Salads in Roydon, Essex, said domestic markets are being flooded with cucumbers from the Netherlands and other countries and it is affecting his sales.
He now faces a dilemma over whether to fill the whole of his 32,000sq m nursery with cucumbers or reduce production because sales have halved.
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“There have been so many growers in the Lea Valley who are saying they’re done. The warehouses are full of cheap foreign cucumbers. Some British growers have resorted to pulling the crop out earlier or even throwing produce away,” he said.
Mr Montalbano, whose family have farmed cucumbers for more than 60 years, says cheaper imports from the continent are pricing British growers out of the market. And the retailers are happy to stock cheap food imports to keep prices down for consumers affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
“When they [the retailers] did not have enough cucumbers, they were happy to pay. Now they have got them, they are trying to reduce the pricing,” he added.
The standard price of a cucumber in the UK is 79p at the supermarket, but it is almost double this in some EU countries – and it is cheaper to grow there.
Mr Montalbano, who specialises in producing baby cucumbers, says the high energy costs of greenhouse cucumber production and increased labour costs are piling pressure on his business with very little returns.
He believes the UK government should step in and legislate to ensure growers are paid a minimum percentage of the retail price, so they can at least make some profit to invest in their businesses.
Lee Stiles, of Lea Valley Growers Association, said soaring energy costs and low prices forced 10 growers in the Lea Valley to quit the industry last year – and he expects a similar number will leave this year.
Lea Valley growers produce more than 80m cucumbers and 70m peppers a year, about 75% of the UK crop.
Mr Stiles is also frustrated not one grower was invited to the government’s Food Summit last week.
Farmers Weekly has contacted the UK government for a comment.