Tesco farmers told to plant more crops to cope with climate change
Farmers supplying Tesco have been urged to plant more crops this year as climate change threatens to spoil more of their harvest.
According to The Telegraph, in response to these growing fears of Britain’s changing weather, the UK’s largest supermarket has struck new deals with two of its largest onion and carrot suppliers.
The new agreement has been driven by expectations that sudden and immediate climate change will become more common in future, which could prove damaging to crops.
Tesco has now lowered the forecasts for how much farmers will grow per hectare of land and is preparing to ask suppliers to plant more fields to maintain their output.
Supermarkets have already been hit by supply issues this year. For example, many were forced to ration tomatoes and peppers after bad weather in Morocco and Spain in February.
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The National Farmers Union (NFU) previously said climate change was “one of the biggest threats to food production” in Britain.
Director of fresh produce and horticulture at Tesco, Tom Mackintosh, told The Telegraph: “Supporting British farmers, growers and suppliers is vital in safeguarding the future of the food industry in the UK.
“We’re providing immediate support in the wake of recent inflationary challenges, as well as supporting suppliers, farmers and growers in tackling more long-term challenges such as climate change and nature loss.”
The news comes as food and farming activists have called on the UK’s leading supermarkets to treat suppliers better as farmers are “struggling to survive” under current practices.



