FOOD
Vegetable rot from flooding fuels risk of shortage
Fields of carrots, swedes, parsnips and potatoes are under water after prolonged wet weather made worse by Storm Henk
Carrot-growing country is particularly affected by Storm Henk
GETTY IMAGES
Widespread flooding of farmland has raised concerns about shortages of carrots and other root vegetables next month.
The warning from food experts came after Storm Henk caused travel disruption and led to the death of a man in Gloucestershire when a tree fell on his car and an elderly woman who died when her vehicle hit a fallen tree in Oxfordshire.
Important regions for growing cereals and vegetables including carrots, swedes, parsnips and potatoes are underwater after prolonged rain across the country, from Lincolnshire and parts of East Anglia to the Somerset Levels. In the areas where there is still flooding, saturated ground is a problem for growers because as long as the crop is in the ground there’s greater risk of it rotting.
Tom
