“Take horticulture seriously or risk its future”, govt warned
14th February 2024
The NFU has criticised the government’s response to the House of Lords Horticulture Sector Committee Report, for failing to adequately address the significant challenges facing the sector – and missing the opportunity to grow our fruit, vegetable, plants and flower industry.
This is despite the horticulture sector being earmarked by the government at its Farm to Fork summit as an area for growth and a promise of a Horticulture Strategy within its own Food Strategy, published in 2022.
NFU horticulture and potatoes board chair Martin Emmett said: “The British horticulture sector is worth £5 billion to the UK economy, yet despite its own ambitions, much of the Government’s response seems to have missed the opportunity to grow the British horticulture sector.”
The industry is facing a third year of unprecedented and highly volatile costs of production, on top of supply chains that “return little value back to growers”, he added.
A recent Promar report showed this is having a direct impact on growers, with many business owners considering cutting production this coming season.
“The risk and lack of reward is simply too high,” Mr Emmett continued.
“Having experienced shortages of some of the nation’s favourite fruit and vegetables in the past 12 months, and with ongoing global instability, our supply chain is fragile.
“We shouldn’t rely on imports to feed the nation. Instead we need government to match its own ambitions for the sector, alongside supporting our ornamental plant and flower businesses to achieve their environmental and biosecurity objectives.
“As a start, we need to give our British growers certainty by having a consistent plan for seasonal labour, including a five-year rolling Seasonal Workers Scheme, as well as sustainable returns and longer-term contracts with their key customers, the retailers and processors.”
Read more fruit articles here.
