Harsh spring frosts take a toll on this year’s English apples with harvest expected to be down by one fifth

  • Picking is now underway but growers are concerned apple sales will be down
  • As well as numbers decreasing, many fruits expected to be smaller or blemished
  • They will be fine to eat, but will not live up to the pristine supermarket standards
  • Temperatures dropped to -4C in April in parts of Britain and in Europe's orchards 

England’s apple harvest could be as much as 20 per cent down after the young fruit were damaged by harsh frosts in the spring.

Picking is now underway, however growers are concerned that not only will the number of apples be down, but many are blemished or smaller than hoped for.

A problem known as ‘frost ring’ leaves a ring of russet or brown scaly skin on apples if they are hit by a sharp frost.

While they are perfectly good and healthy to eat, they do not live up to the pristine beauty pageant standards normally demanded by the mainstream supermarkets.

Temperatures dropped to -4C at the end of April in parts of Britain and across orchards in Europe.

The sudden fall hit farmers producing a large number of crops, including grapes for Britain’s thriving vineyards.

England¿s apple harvest could be as much as 20 per cent down after the young fruit were damaged by harsh frosts in the spring

England’s apple harvest could be as much as 20 per cent down after the young fruit were damaged by harsh frosts in the spring

James Simpson, the managing director of top Kent fruit grower Adrian Scripps, said the firm’s orchards have suffered mixed fortunes.

‘Most of the UK suffered three frosts that in different regions and with different varieties affected most growers to some extent. Cox appears to be the worst affected, with other varieties coming through almost untouched,’ he said.

Mr Simpson told Horticulture Week: ‘Our farms in east Kent have sustained the worst damage where we may have lost up to 30-40 per cent of the crop in some orchards.

‘Our farms in north and west Kent have good crops with low levels of frost damage or crop loss.’

He said fruit picking is now in full swing on all of the company’s Kent farms, which is around two weeks ahead of last year.

Tesco, which is Britain’s biggest fruit seller, has responded to the concerns about blemished fruit by relaxing its quality standards.

Apple exert at the chain, John Worth, said: ‘We’re working with our apple growers to use as much of the crop and prevent perfectly good fruit from going to waste.

‘We want to support our growers wherever we can, and although some apples might be smaller or blemished, they still have the same great taste our customers expect.’

Slightly blemished apples will be sold as part of the supermarket’s standard range whilst the badly blemished fruit will be sold as part of Tesco’s ‘Perfectly Imperfect’ range.

Picking is now underway, however growers are concerned that not only will the number of apples be down, but many are blemished or smaller than hoped for.

Picking is now underway, however growers are concerned that not only will the number of apples be down, but many are blemished or smaller than hoped for.

Earlier this week, Tesco announced partnership agreements with 24 of its largest food suppliers who have agreed to halve food waste by 2030.

Its chief executive, Dave Lewis, said: ‘Great progress has been made, but the reality is that we need many more companies, countries or cities committing to halve food waste by 2030, measuring and publishing their data and acting on that insight to tackle food waste.

‘I am delighted that many of our major suppliers have taken this important step so we can work in partnership to reduce food waste.’

UK growers will be launching a Great British Apples campaign next month to encourage families to eat home grown fruit rather than imports. This will include a new logo that will appear on millions of apples and packs.

Research by the producers group English Apples & Pears found nine in ten people prefer British fruit.

A spokesman said: ‘While bad weather earlier in the year has hit volumes by some 20per cent, it appears the nation’s appetite for British apples will be bigger than ever.

‘Varieties like Red Pippin, Discovery, Worcester Pearmain and Lord Lambourne will be highly sought after this season, as well as more universally known varieties such as Gala, Cox, Braeburn and Jazz.’