'Foreign imports are hurting our strawberries'

The owner of a strawberry farm in Worcestershire says the changing climate is extending their growing season, leaving many strawberries unpicked and unsold.

Bal Padda runs the 150-acre Vicarage Nurseries, in Bretforton, and says his business is slowing their operation down due to a drop in demand.

"We're putting it on hold today. We picked yesterday but have no order today. The demand drops down", he said.

"Supermarkets have started importing now, they assume the UK season is over and done with".

But with longer, hotter summers the strawberry season is starting to last longer.

Last year, picking at the nursery ended on 24 November.

This year, Padda said the farm had at least eight weeks of harvesting left, potentially taking production into December.

Padda is now calling on the supermarkets to buy excess produce, help supply other sectors and reduce waste.

"If we work together with retailers, they could pay the farmer, the grower a fair price for the surplus that we've got, and then use that to supply their jam makers or their smoothie companies," he explained.

"That surplus could be used for a secondary thing".

But as things stand this year, many of the ripe strawberries sitting under the 100 polytunnels on the farm may remain unpicked.

The BBC have contacted the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) for comment.

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