Soft fruit harvest in UK suffers from extremely warm weather

Berry growers across the UK have reported a difficult harvest season due to the recent record temperatures. Growers were confronted with unexpectedly dry and hot conditions: for the first time in history and at the peak of the harvest, temperatures in the UK topped 40 degrees. In addition, the growers harvested in the driest July month since 1911. The British blackcurrant harvest started on 3 July in Somerset, with hopes for favorable weather conditions for the next six weeks. The Blackcurrant Foundation, which consists of 35 growers, said a major concern this year was that the berries could not stick to the bushes. The effects of the extreme conditions were worst in the South East and East ...