British supermarkets are facing a Brussels sprout shortage just in time for Christmas

It sounds like the ultimate Christmas culinary nightmare.

British supermarkets are pulling out all the stops to avoid a brussels sprout shortage after crops were ravaged by ‘super-pest’ moths during the summer.

It’s believed that the shortage is linked to the rise of diamondback moths arriving in the UK from Europe – which are known for causing huge damage to crops such as sprouts, cabbages and cauliflowers because they are resistant to insecticides.

Now, growers in Lincolnshire – which supplies nearly two thirds of all sprouts produced in the country – have reported substantial losses of up to 60%.

It’s believed that the shortage will have a direct effect on the variety of sprouts on offer – and some supermarkets may be forced to relax their usually lofty standards to allow imperfect vegetables to make up the surplus.

But the National Farmers Union has since confirmed that it will work closely with both growers and national supermarkets in a bid to avert an all-out sprout crisis.

A spokesman told The Guardian: ‘This is an incredibly busy period for sprout producers, when the demand increases significantly for a relatively short part of the total growing season.

‘It is not unusual for there to be weather- and pest-related challenges, which have the potential to impact on yield but growers and retailers work closely together to ensure that consumers will be able to get sprouts over the festive period.

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‘Discussions between suppliers and customers may include amendments to specifications to enable more of the crop to be sold. This year, size specifications are likely to be relaxed to enable smaller sprouts to be sold.’

But not everyone is panicking yet – with some experts playing down the severity of the shortage.

Rob Hooper, a Tesco sprout expert, added: ‘We’re not experiencing issues with our sprouts and our growers are working hard to ensure that we have ample supplies of high quality sprouts for the festive season.’

They might be much-maligned, but we couldn’t imagine Christmas without our beloved sprouts. We’re praying to Santa that this doesn’t happen!