Bramley apple processors have welcomed the cold summer, claiming it has put the brakes on cider consumption and improved fruit availability.

Fourayes Farm, which sells prepared apple and other fruit fillings to manufacturers and retailers, said it expected to find apples easier to source for its 8,500 tonne requirement in the coming year.

"Now is a crucial time for the market as we harvest the crop for subsequent distribution," said Philip Acock, MD at Fourayes. "With Magners taking a reduced share in the coming months it will help to ease supply pressures."

Magners manufacturer C&C Group warned earlier this year that volume sales would fall below expectations because of the cold, wet summer. And a Northern Irish fruit processor confirmed demand for apples from cider makers had eased in recent months.

It will provide welcome relief to the processors competing for apple supplies, which are still struggling to recover from the demand placed on them by cider producers last year. Last year cider sales rose 225% in volume, on top of 350% growth in 2005. In the year to July 2007, the cider sector as a whole grew 26% in volume as more manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon.

"A much larger portion of the UK's apple supply than normal was sent to Ireland for cider-making last year, meaning availability was tight for other buyers," said Acock. "As apple buyers, we know how hard it has been for some in the industry to compete recently. We are lucky to grow a proportion of our apples on our own farm, but others are not quite so fortunate."

The supply problem has also been exacerbated by a shortage of apples and apple concentrate from Poland this year. Severe spring frosts have helped to cut fruit availability in the country by nearly one million tonnes, threatening to push up prices.