Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he Department has made of the quantity of cider apple crops that were wasted in the 2020 harvest due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Defra produces annual estimates of horticultural crop production, including on cider apples and perry pears. These estimates include tonnage, value, and imports/exports, and allow the Government to monitor productivity and competitiveness within the industry, including supply and self-sufficiency. The latest available data is for 2019. These are available on gov.uk.

There are a number of reasons why crops may be unharvested, for example weather, pest and disease or a drop in demand. No estimates are made for the tonnage of cider apple crops left unharvested. As a result, no data is available to answer this question.

We have regular contact with stakeholders to understand live issues as they develop. For example, during the first set of national Coronavirus restrictions, we worked closely with the cider industry and the National Farmers’ Union to assess the impact of the pandemic on the sector.