18 billion pounds of UK imports at risk due to Mediterranean Heat

Agricultural workers are the most exposed to heat stress as they need to work outdoors at all times. Extreme weather is reducing the number of hours they can work outdoors, affecting crop yields and increasing prices.

The UK imports 40 percent of its food from the Mediterranean region with France, Italy and Spain supplying the bulk of it. `

Fruits, vegetables, olive oil and wine feature among the 18 billion pounds worth of UK imports that are at risk due to extreme heat in the Mediterranean. As British farmers struggle to cope with the changing climate, the UK has relied on Europe for its essentials and much more but this too is at risk as temperatures soar and precious working hours are lost to heat stress in the Mediterranean region.

Increasing costs of imports

Extreme weather is not just making it difficult to stay indoors or commute to work every day; it is also exacting a cost on the fruits and vegetables we buy and the wine we drink. A tenth of the UK’s overall food supply, worth 18 billion pounds, comes from the Mediterranean regions, and prices have increased by 12 percent in the past year.

Over the past two years, the cost of citrus fruits like oranges, satsumas and mandarins has gone up by 40 percent, whereas the prices of apples and pears grew by 25 percent and 45 percent respectively.

The price of olive oil sourced from the Mediterranean region has surged by 83 percent between 2022 and 2024,