A LEADING supplier of blackcurrants to Ribena and Innocent Drinks is having to establish new varieties and up to a million new bushes because of global warming.

Grower Edward Thompson, of Pixley Court, believes that climate change is so rapid the new varieties he will have established on his 400 acres within the next five years will need to be grubbed up just 25 years later.

Many traditional blackcurrant varieties require cold winters to thrive and Mr Thompson first noticed something was amiss when he had a crop failure as far back as 1998.

He said: "We didn't know what was wrong then, but we do now. With the planet changing like this, what is happening to our oak trees and ash trees?"

Mr Thompson has decided to grub out half a million to a million bushes of varieties not thriving in the warmer climate.

At Pixley Berries, these varieties include Ben Lomond, Ben Alder and Ben Tirran, which, like so many blackcurrant types, come from Scotland.

By good fortune, before he realised that climate change was taking a toll on the crop, Mr Thompson planted two varieties that are more resistant to climate change, Ben Gairn and Ben Hope, but the search goes on for other types.

From abroad comes Pixley Black, which Mr Thompson has sourced from a secret location.

Ribena are keen on varieties Ben Starav and Ben Vane, and Pixley Berries are even trying to bring in a variety from New Zealand called Murchison.

But Mr Thompson added: "The varieties we are looking at now will need to be replaced. I would guess they have a shelf life of around 25 years because of climate change."