[neilwilson]

"(due to the seller restricting their supply or just shutting down)."

The appropriate thing to do then is for the state to use the labour that they would otherwise subsidise to produce apples.

Which makes sense since the actions of the suppliers shows that there is no more productive advantage in paying a profit share. They are incapable of using the shortage of labour market signal to innovate and automate - thereby producing more with less.

Subsidy is never good for the free market. Nor is giving a monopoly over supply to capitalists. Capitalists should know that they are only permitted to exist where they drive forward productivity. Once they cease to do that in a market segment, then they are out of business.

Free markets only work when both sides can say 'no deal'.