Fruit and vegetable imports have hit record levels, according to a report by the NFU Horticulture and Potato Board.
The value of UK field vegetable production plummeted 14% between 2010 and 2014 and outdoor vegetable growers shrank their cropped areas by 7,000ha (2012-13).
In comparison, the volume of fruit and vegetable imports to the UK hit a record 5.8m tonnes in 2014 – an increase of 664,000t in just four years, which is enough to fill 25,000 cargo ship crates.