Traditional vegetables such as carrots, peas, leeks, and broccoli may soon become a rarity on British dining tables because of climate changes. Media reports speak of farmers warning that changes in the weather due to global warming have left growers with severe problems planting popular green vegetables.
Last month was the warmest April on record in Great Britain and the driest with some areas having received no rainfall at all. The dry weather has meant seeds failings to germinate or dying because of a lack of water. Now growers warn that even prolonged rains will come too late. Only 60 percent of British vegetable fields have irrigation systems, which has led some farmers to stop planting seeds for traditional vegetables while others have switched to cereal crops.
Britain annually produces 150,000 tonnes of peas-the most in Europe, 1 million tonnes of carrots a year, 40,000 tonnes of leek and 112,000 tonnes of cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.