For Britain's struggling fruit farmers, things could be about to go even more pear-shaped...
A Chinese farmer has invented baby-shaped pears - and he is planning to export his novel idea over here.
Plucky farmer Gao Xianzhang has created 10,000 of the mini marvels this season and he plans to take the fruits of his labour to the UK and Europe.
Britain could soon see the arrival of the pears, which are shaped like mini buddhas.
If the idea catches on, sales of the mini pears could hit the profits of British farmers who are already struggling to fend off sales of cheaper foreign produce in recession-hit Britain.
Gao spent six years perfecting the intricate baby-shaped pears, carefully crafting each one which grows inside an individual mould.
Despite their hefty cost of £5 each, locals in his home village of Hexia, in Hebia, northern China, have reportedly been snapping them up.
'People seem to think they are cute or lucky and will buy them as soon as they're off the tree,' Gao explained.
Luckily for Gao, he should have few problems getting his quirky shaped fruits past EU officials.
In July, wonky shaped fruit and vegetables such as curvy cucumbers and knobbly carrots returned to supermarket shelves after EU rules restricting the size and shape of 36 types of fruit and vegetables
For the last 20 years, EU-wide marketing standards have encouraged the sale of finest-looking produce for sale in shops.
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