Malesia
shortage of peas is feared in Britain as recent hot weather means they cannot form in their pods.
The dry, warm climate has meant fewer pods and smaller peas are being produced as they do not have enough water to fully grow.
It is also proving the perfect breeding ground for specific types of bugs, such as the pea moth and bruchid beetle, which feed on both peas and beans at this time of year, causing further problems for pea stocks.
The UK is the largest producer of peas for freezing in Europe - producing 150,000 tonnes of them a year - and is 90 per cent self sufficient.
In 2016/17 approximately 8,652 tonnes of peas were exported from the UK to countries within the EU.
But all of this could be dramatically reduced after this summer has seen several weeks of warm temperatures more than ten degrees above the average.
Met Office figures revealed that June this year was the driest on record in some parts of the country.
Franek Smith, president of the British Edible Pulses Association, told The Grocer: "Though the life cycle of the plant means they die in the field and dry out before harvest, the hot weather is forcing them to die before they reach maturity.
"The peas have only just formed in their pods, so stopping growth now means there are fewer and smaller peas in the pods depreciating value of the yield.
"The number of pods is also reduced as top flowers have aborted production due to hot, dry weather."
shortage of peas is feared in Britain as recent hot weather means they cannot form in their pods.
The dry, warm climate has meant fewer pods and smaller peas are being produced as they do not have enough water to fully grow.
It is also proving the perfect breeding ground for specific types of bugs, such as the pea moth and bruchid beetle, which feed on both peas and beans at this time of year, causing further problems for pea stocks.
The UK is the largest producer of peas for freezing in Europe - producing 150,000 tonnes of them a year - and is 90 per cent self sufficient.
In 2016/17 approximately 8,652 tonnes of peas were exported from the UK to countries within the EU.
But all of this could be dramatically reduced after this summer has seen several weeks of warm temperatures more than ten degrees above the average.
Met Office figures revealed that June this year was the driest on record in some parts of the country.
Franek Smith, president of the British Edible Pulses Association, told The Grocer: "Though the life cycle of the plant means they die in the field and dry out before harvest, the hot weather is forcing them to die before they reach maturity.
"The peas have only just formed in their pods, so stopping growth now means there are fewer and smaller peas in the pods depreciating value of the yield.
"The number of pods is also reduced as top flowers have aborted production due to hot, dry weather."
