Britain's sunny spring brings a bumper strawberry crop

By Gerhard Mey and Hannah McKay

MAIDSTONE, England (Reuters) -Strawberry season has arrived early to Britain this year thanks to a "near perfect" spring blend of warm days, cool nights and high sunshine levels, growers said.

The favourable conditions have meant sweeter, larger and more shapely strawberries arriving earlier on supermarket shelves this year and lower prices for shoppers.

James Miller, the commercial director of Maidstone, southeast England-based WB Chambers Farms, said regular daytime temperatures in May of 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), dropping to 9 C overnight, along with high light levels were the key to the exceptional early season crop.

"(That's) really helped the plants to develop and to produce the sweet and large berries that we've got at the moment," he told Reuters.

"The warm and sunny weather has been welcome for strawberry growing this year."

Late last month, Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket group, said it had taken on extra stock from UK strawberry growers and had cut the price shoppers pay for 400g punnets from 2.50 pounds ($3.38) to 1.50 pounds.

It expects to sell about 25% more strawberries this year than last.

Miller said growing conditions this spring were very different to last year when Britain experienced a much colder and wetter start to the fruit growing season.

He said all farmers understood that they have to adapt to climate change, and be prepared for changing circumstances.

"We have to invest in the technology. That means that we understand the weather impact on the crops and how we change our irrigation or feeding routines for the future," he said.

Miller also welcomed the news that the government is in the process of resetting trade ties with the European Union, which should make it easier to export. The sooner a deal comes the better.

"If it was this summer, then this season, that would be fantastic," he said.

($1 = 0.7389 pounds)

(Reporting by Gerhard Mey and Hannah McKay, additional reporting by Liza Premiyak; writing by James Davey, editing by Alexandra Hudson)