Brits are facing a national pine-demic as experts expose Europe will not come to our aid over the Christmas tree shortage.
This festive season, homes across the UK may look a little bare after it was revealed that we are facing a shortage of trees.
A combination of blistering summer heatwaves and the roaring El Nino storm has battered the UK’s Christmas crop.
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Unfortunately, an expert has revealed that our European neighbours will not be giving us a Christmas miracle.
“This year we have seen European growers simply refuse to ship to the UK,” Josh Lyle, founder of Pines & Needles, told What’s The Jam.
“They can sell their entire crop domestically without the paperwork.
“With the UK already in shortage, that gap becomes very real.”
Once again it seems Brexit has reared its ugly head, as the founder of a UK based supplier has alluded to.
The founder of Pines and Needles, who have been a leading homegrown supplier of trees, has stated the administrative barriers of shipping to the UK has put off European sellers.
Importing from abroad is more complex than ever due to the additional bureaucracy and logistical challenges.
For many UK based suppliers, poor growing seasons like the one we have just witnessed have long lasting effects.
According to Pines and Needles, Christmas trees take around 8–10 years to reach a mature 6–7ft size.
Unfortunately, Brexit and the weather are just some of the many problems suppliers across the nation are facing.
A shortage in labour is really impacting a number of tree farms.
Josh Lyle said: “We have spoken to farms that have struggled to harvest their trees because they simply do not have the workforce available.
“This is not a demand issue; it is a lack of hands.
“Better access to reliable seasonal labour would make a real difference to the industry.”
Fortunately, Pine and Needles, who operate 11 farms across Scotland, saw the signs and acted early.
He continued: “We see supply issues before most retailers do, and we act early.
“That is the only reason we are fully stocked while others are not.”
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