END TIMES WEATHER:Floods to put damper on Christmas dinner

THE floods that ravaged parts of England could also leave their mark on the Christmas dinner plate, a new report warns.The trade magazine the Grocer says shortages in the wake of the recent floods could last until the end of the year with the British crop of brussels sprouts badly hit.
Torrential rain across much of the country has added to the woes of growers and threatened availability levels in supermarkets.Up to half of the UK's brussels sprout crop has been lost, fuelling fears of Christmas Day shortages, producers have warned.Sarah Pettitt,a sprout grower,said:"When the sun is shining again the consumer will forget there was a problem, but the impact of this weather on crops will be felt into 2008.There will be shortages."She warned that staples such as spring cabbage,broccoli and cauliflower were also likely to run short.
"Cauliflower and broccoli supplies will be sporadic with peaks and troughs for the rest of the year,"she said.The magazine said that in the meantime broccoli is being brought into the UK from the US to keep supermarket shelves stocked.Ms Pettitt added:"The supermarkets' initial reaction has been to hit the panic button.They have got on to the produce marketing companies and told them to get buyers out to every corner of the earth to keep supplies going."
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As in the days of Noah...