One of the largest fruit and vegetable producers in England said it has lost up to 40% of its peppers due to British heatwaves.
Lea Valley Growers’ Association, which produces about three-quarters of Britain’s cucumbers and sweet peppers in glasshouses across London, Essex and Hertfordshire, said it has lost 27,000kg of peppers over the 10 weeks of picking season.
Several heatwaves throughout the summer meant 2026 was the hottest on record, according to the Met Office.
Jimmy Russo, the association’s director, called it a “disastrous” year and said the “sheer heat” had impacted the peppers’ roots and farmers would have to “reconsider” how they were grown in the future.
Russo, from Nazeing, Essex, added the drop in yield has meant less income from selling the produce.
A spokesperson for the association added in the last year it had experienced a 120% rise in fuel costs and a 60% increase in fertiliser costs.
Lee Stiles, the association’s secretary, said: “Lea Valley growers have collectively lost around £15m this year following price increases in energy and inputs such as fertiliser due to the Iran war.
“This is on top of increase in labour costs following wage increases and employers National Insurance.
“The majority of supermarkets have refused to increase the price paid to growers for their vegetables this year, which has seen many growers lose money and some enter administration.
“Growers have been making efficiencies for decades and work on very thin margins, therefore cannot absorb cost of production increases caused by global events outside of their control.”