Fruit

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.

Nutrel Products Ltd, which develops, manufactures, and markets fertilisers and associated products, has marked a significant milestone with the grand opening of its new warehouse.

Topics to be covered include the new apple rootstock M200, improvements in disease control and pest management, and improving energy use in apple stores.

Forty-nine faceless scarecrows were placed outside parliament, representing the anonymity of farmers, and the 49% of fruit and veg farmers who believe they will be out of business in 12 months.

Aldi topped the first quarter of the new British apple season from October to December 2023, leaving Tesco behind, according to British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL).

A project that aims to develop a commercially viable system for precisely targeting orchard inputs to specific trees, or even parts of a tree, has been given the go-ahead. The £4.5 million project has been led by Hutchinsons agronomist, Rob Saunders, and partly funded by the commercial partners, Innovate UK and Defra.

The viticulture sector is set to become the latest industry to benefit from the introduction of cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) robotics technology, thanks to a new innovation programme funded by Defra.

Oxbo has expanded its presence and product portfolio through acquiring Westside Equipment Company in Madera, California.

As part of the wind down of all AHDB Horticulture activities, the levy board is transferring the royalties from the commercialisation of two levy-funded research projects.

Soaring cost of production over the past two years has meant that some of the UK’s leading horticulture businesses have shelved any plans for growth, putting the future of the UK’s fruit and vegetable industry at risk.

A cutting-edge new digital forecasting tool to maximise planning and profitability for soft fruit growers will launch to market in 2024 thanks to £2.8m capital raised from private investors, Ceres Agritech and Innovate UK through the investor partnership programme.

After industry lobbying the government has announced horticulture businesses will have access to a fund to help cut their energy bills.