Lib Dems call for COBRA meeting amid supermarket fruit and veg limits

Limits have been put in place at Tesco, Aldi, ASDA and Morrissons.

The news comes as Environment Secretary Therese Coffey dismissed claims of food shortages at the NFU conference last week.

Shortages have allegedly been caused by poor weather conditions in Spain where much of the UK’s winter veg comes from, but issues have been compounded by actions of the Conservatives.

Sky-high energy bills alongside plans to slash farmer’s energy bill support in April has led to many farm businesses to cut back on the use of greenhouses this winter.

The government also cut farmer’s support payments by at least 20 per cent in December, with a further 35 per cent planned this year; meanwhile, the new Environmental Land Management Scheme is still not ready or open to everyone.

Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “People are rightly alarmed about the chronic shortage of fruit and vegetables in our shops, but it seems the government has no urgent plan to fix it.

“This government has created chaos in the economy, an NHS on its knees, now they’re responsible for worsening food shortages through their failure to back British farming.

“We need a COBRA meeting, with food experts, supermarkets and farmers, to hammer out an urgent solution to this crisis.”