A YORK farmer has warned that a shortage of British carrots could last until next June.

Rodger Hobson, chairman of the British Carrot Growers Association, runs Hobson Farming near Crockey Hill. It is the UK’s largest grower of carrots for the processing market producing more than 30,000 tonnes of carrots each year.

But he said that this year the “perfect storm” of weather conditions means he is expecting to harvest 30 per cent fewer carrots than last year, amounting to a “serious shortage” for the country.

And the shortage is likely to hit the Christmas dinner table.

Mr Hobson highlighted the Aldi Christmas marketing campaign, saying: “Kevin the Carrot might be French this year. The only option will be bring carrots in from abroad.”

He said: “It’s the most serious I have ever seen it. We normally plant in March and April because the longer they are in the ground the more they grow. Because of the snow we didn’t get them planted until the middle of May.

“And it’s not just the water shortage, it’s also the temperatures. The optimum is 16C to 19C.

“It’s 25C and the carrots just wilt. For the first time in four years we have not harvested for two weeks. You feel a bit useless.”

Mr Hobson, who has been farming carrots for 28 years, said the crisis will inevitably have an impact on prices as poor yields push up UK production costs and farmers are put under pressure.

The UK traditionally grows about 97 per cent of its own carrots but Mr Hobson added: “The British carrot growing industry is respected worldwide for its ability to produce fresh from the field carrots 52 weeks of the year. However, we have suffered the perfect storm of poor conditions this year. The damage is done, we are now halfway through the growing season.”

And it is not just carrot growers who have suffered - pea and lettuce crops have also been hit by the unusual weather.

With much of Europe experiencing the same weather, there could be a shortage of imported carrots too. Mr Hobson warned consumers to expect price rises but urged them to continue to support British growers.