For horticulture and potato members of the NFU Autumn 2022
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T hese are challenging times! Covid and the war in Ukraine roll on, the economy is heading for a recession, staff shortages have impacted on production and, despite reasonable rainfall last winter, a large part of the country ended the summer in drought conditions.
Designer John Cottle Writers Hayley MichaelGibbonsCampbell-Barker NFU advisersHorticulture Chief horticulture and potatoes adviser Lee Abbey e: lee.abbey@nfu.org.uk Horticulture adviser Rupert Weaver e: @nfu.org.ukrupert.weaver adviser Christine McDowell e: nfu.org.ukchristine.mcdowell@ by: NFU AT by: Stephen & George sales: Jasbinder t:@nfu.org.ukjasbinder.saikhonSaikhon02476858952 Heather Crompton Istock, Alamy, Toby
Photography: John Cottle,
Graphics Printed
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As ever, opportunity can come out of adversity, but we do need ongoing support from our MPs and the public. The Back British Farming (and growing) message, that will be highlighted on 14 September, has never been more important.
To achieve these targets, we need a sector growth plan that encompasses all of horticulture, and the NFU will be identifying and sharing with government the mechanisms that can unlock the full potential of our sector.
Horticulture
Lea WELCOME Martin Emmett Horticulture and Potatoes BoardAutumnChairman2022 3
Welcome
Some of these issues are shared with the wider business community, others (such as water) more specifically affect the land-based sector. In these circumstances we need more information than ever to understand the impacts and to support our case in discussions with the government. I know how frustrating it is to be inundated with consultation and survey requests from all quarters. At the NFU, we will always carefully consider whether we need to consult our members – so when the requests come in for information, please respond.
Editor Lorna Maybery t: 02476 858971 e: @nfu.org.uklorna.maybery News editor Tom Sales t: 02476 858676 e: tom.sales@nfu.org.uk
Production:
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There is some positive news! The government’s Food Strategy, published in June, states that we should increase fruit and vegetable production. The current circumstances highlight the need for food security and, despite this summer’s drought, in a global context the UK’s maritime climate should offer a long-term production opportunity, whereas some overseas areas may become unsustainable. This is coupled with a biosecurity strategy which asks for more home production of trees and landscape plants.
The Horticulture and Potatoes Board is mindful that many businesses are enduring the worst period in their trading history – please share your concerns with us; where there are policy solutions, we will do our best to help.
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06 NEWS AND POLICY A round-up of what the NFU is doing for you – including support during the dry weather and our response to a new labour review and an automation report 09 BIG OPPORTUNITY? How horticulture can make the most of the National Food Strategy 14 THE PIONEERS We speak to the innovators blurring the boundaries of what can be grown in the UK 16 SURVEY RESULTS The NFU's mid-season labour survey results are in 19 RETAILER MINDSET Why growers might hold the aces in dealing with the supermarkets 20 SPOTTING EXPLOITATION A new network hopes to get ahead of the criminals involved in modern slavery 23 TRADING PLACES Running the rule over the government’s latest trade talks Contents More than 5,400 people have downloaded the NFU’s dedicated mobile app – and with a wealth of fast-changing trade, campaigns and supply chain news being added daily, there’s never been a more important time to joinThethem.App lets members customise content by farming sector and access internetcontentdownloadedwithoutanconnection.Itgivestheoption of being notified when important news and information is added –and it’s free for NFU members.Visityour usual app provider. 38 GET THE NFU APP 26 WHO’S GREENEST? How do the retailers’ net zero targets stack up, and what might they mean for you? 29 PROTECTING THE INDUSTRY A new, industry-led approach to EAMU applications 31 FRUIT IN FOCUS The sector’s biggest show 35 POTATO NEWS Long-awaited approval for DMN 37 POTATO FORUM We hear from new chair Tim Rooke 38 MEET THE GROWER Stephen Shields, of leading carrot and parsnip growers Huntapac 43 GUEST COLUMN With Victoria Prentis 46 I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT... Louise Wright picks her items 31 Autumn 2022 5
In a linked move, Defra has implemented a new risk-based regime on inspection frequency, more closely aligning inspection rates between products from EU and non-EU countries.
The review will be chaired by former G’s Fresh Group CEO John Shropshire. See p16-17
Our policy experts have pulled together a range of practical advice to help members mitigate the challenges posed by the prolonged dry conditions. This can be found in our one-stop online toolkit on NFUonline, which is being updated regularly as events unfold.
NFU Deputy President Tom Bradshaw said it should include a prompt end to delays in the Migration Advisory Committee’s review of the Shortage Occupation List, which could result in an easing of visa requirements for certain roles.
New vision for soil A ‘ground up’ approach to food security, net zero and the environment was highlighted at the London launch of the NFU’s new Foundation of Food soils report. The publication makes a series of recommendation for a coordinated approach to soil health, built on better data collection and incentives for farmers, investment in R&D and improved knowledge exchange. It also touches on peatland management that balances soil protection and production, and measures to boost confidence in new income streams, such as the voluntary carbon o set market.
More at NFUonline.com/reports
More on p35
The current guidance includes: licences, provisions
A new, flat rate of £32.15 for physical inspections and £1.57 for identity checks represents a significant saving on the previous regime, which had also given plants finished in the EU a cost advantage over imports to be finished by UK growers.
across the food and drink sectors must recognise the need for urgent action, as well as longerterm strategy, the NFU has said.
A snapshot of the NFU’s work for members and developments in the sector What's been happening... You’ll also find our policylonger-termstrategic,asksfor a resilient water supply agriculture,for as set out in report.ManagementWaterIntegratedour Visit information-and-adviceand-information/dry-weather-NFUonline.com/updatespolicy asks for NFUonline.com/updates-INTEGRATEDWATERMANAGEMENT Autumn 20226
Labour review
and possible restrictions • What to do if you are experiencing water supply problems on farm • Drought legislationplanning,andtriggers • Our involvement with National Drought Group meetings • What to do if you are concerned about delivering produce in line with supply contracts.
Working for you
businesses importing plants and plant material are now in e ect, following sustained work from the NFU and industry partners.
Plant health
• Abstraction
Dry adviceweather
flexibility
Two reducechangesimportantthatwillcostsforUK
DMN approved Potato inmostnationsavailablemanufacturedthemorecampaignedproducts.applicationsconditionsgivenconcernsalleviatewindevelopmentuselong-awaitedhassuppressantsproutDMNbeengivenafullapprovalforinGreatBritain.Themarksasignificantforthesectorandwillhelptomountingstoragethisseason,particularlytheunsuitabilityofforin-fieldofalternativeTheNFUhasforanapprovalforthantwoyears,followingwithdrawalofCIPC.DMN,byDormFresh,istogrowersin23EUandadecisionherehadrecentlybeenanticipatedOctober2021.
A ofcommissionedgovernment-reviewlabourshortages
Mr Bradshaw also called for the probe to include the UK’s £1.4 billion ornamental plant sector.
FOR PESTS
The early warning system could allow swifter, more precise interventions, reducing crop losses and plant protection use Authority, or removing the adjudicator entirely.
Autumn 2022 7
“It reinforces the need for growers to have access to labour while they invest and technology develops.” He strongly backed a recommendation for Defra to pursue a long-term seasonal workers scheme. Other recommendations included closer working between government and the sector to fast-track the adoption of proven technologies, working groups to share novel harvesting practices, and further investment in the sector’s skills pipeline to open career development opportunities.
A Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy consultation is looking at how the GCA’s powers have been used and how e ective the role has been in enforcing the Grocery Suppliers Code of Practice, which regulates fair dealings between supermarkets and their suppliers.
VIEWS WANTED ON GCA REVIEW
NFU sector chief adviser Lee Abbey said the exercise had confirmed that UK horticulture is an “incredibly innovative, early adopter of technology”.
The NFU is seeking feedback from members to help shape its response to a potentially far-reaching review of the Grocery Code Adjudicator (GCA).
British Summer Fruits is to rebrand as British Berry Growers, as part of e orts to highlight the organisation’s role as a crop association. The growers’ group says it will also widen its focus to include highlighting the industry’s positive contribution to rural economies, directing research through a new R&D advisory board, and identifying risks to the sector’s long-term future, alongside its promotional role with consumers. It will continue to fund the Love Fresh Berries campaign.
RISE OF THE MACHINES REMAINS IN LONGER TERM
But he added: “The review also lays bare that the technologies to replace most manual roles that require the dexterity of the human hand are simply not yet available.
Feed into our response NFUonline.com/GCAreviewat
The team hopes the light-based approach will offer significant improvements on plant ‘noses‘ that use electrochemical sensors, which can suffer from sensitivity issues and the ‘drift’ of the triggering compounds.
Industry updates
CHANGE AT BRITISH SUMMER FRUITS
A small slice of the UK’s £350 million-a-year strawberry crop will be the first to be ‘sniffed’ by the new nose, with detection of potentially ruinous potato aphids the goal.
A utomation is unlikely to be the silver bullet that resolves labour pressures in the UK horticulture sector – and in most cases the potential of technologies like AI and robotics will be realised in the “medium to long-term”.
Those were the key findings of a government review, published in July, which also highlighted the need for a seasonal worker scheme in UK horticulture beyond 2024.
FORSNIFFINGPESTS
UK researchers are turning to the science of light to develop a hightech ‘nose‘ to monitor crops for pests andExpertsdiseases.atAston and Harper Adams universities will use a breakthroughrecentin photonics to detect the volatile organic compounds that are emitted when plants experience pest or disease problems. The early warning system could allow swifter, more precise interventions, reducing crop losses and plant protection use.
The investigation was co-chaired by Defra Secretary George Eustice and the University of Lincoln’s Prof Simon Pearson. It heard from growers, academics and tech experts during a six-month period.
However, the probe also covers areas of NFU concern, and includes questions about reassigning the functions of the GCA to the Competitions Market Authority, or removing the adjudicator entirely. “The GCA is incredibly valuable,” said NFU Chief Food Business Adviser Amy Fry. “And at a time when farmers and growers are facing unprecedented inflation and supply chain challenges, it is more vital than ever.”
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The big opportunity
A gainst the backdrop of two debilitating years of Covid, a war in Ukraine that has sent energy costs spiralling, and the instability caused by Brexit, the government’s unveiling of its long-awaited Food Strategy in June could not have come soonTheenough.response to Henry Dimbleby’s seminal review of the food sector was delivered to parliament by Defra Secretary of State George Eustice, and it contained big promises to support growers to harness technology, boost domestic fruit and vegetable production and create new job opportunities across the country.Encouragingly, it painted a positive picture of the horticulture industry and signalled the hope that it will play an ever more important role in the nation’s food security in the years ahead.“The strategy we are setting out today will increase the focus on skills in the food sector, and the roles and career pathways available,” Mr Eustice said at the launch.
ambitionsFoodmuch-anticipatedDefra’sStrategyhasmajorforhorticulture,butwhatwillittaketorealisethem?
Michael Barker reports
Food Strategy Autumn 2022 9
Food Strategy
A new NFU report
Opportunities for horticulture
The Foundation of Food, launched in July, explains the benefits that healthy soil delivers in reducing flood risk, supporting wildlife habitats and biodiversity, and the sequestration and storage of carbon.
George FoodlaunchesEusticethenewStrategy
SOIL FUTUREANDFOOD
“In particular, we will seek to boost thesectortoexpertiseensureindustryhorticultureourandtheneededdevelopthehereinUK”
Autumn 202210
future.productionfoodsustainablecountry’sensuringsoiltheinvestingthatemphasisedhasinnation’siskeytothe
NFU Vice-President David Exwood says: “Farmers are in the best position to continue work to support soil health and ensure it for the future. The importance of healthy soils to everyone cannot be underestimated. It underpins our productive farming systems, and delivers huge benefits for the environment, the farmed landscape and o ers resilience to climate “Farmerschange.arealready doing fantastic work, but the current fragility of our global food security has thrown food production into sharp focus. We need to look carefully at how we protect our number-one asset – our soil. This report sets out our vision for a long-term, coordinated approach, which incentivises farmers for improving their soil and accounts for the needs of individual farm businesses.” “In particular, we will seek to boost our horticulture industry and ensure the expertise needed to develop the sector here in the UK.”
With the British public keen to eat more local, British food, the strategy needs to “develop into clear delivery and investment to capitalise on the benefits food and farming delivers for the country”, she added.
A number of the pillars of the strategy resonate strongly with horticulture. The top-line statement to sustainably Elements of the strategy have been welcomed in fresh produce circles
NFU President Minette Batters said the Food Strategy was “a clear milestone, with the government recognising the importance of domestic food production, maintaining our productive capacity and growing more food in this country, particularly at a time when the war in Ukraine has focused attention on the importance and fragility of our global food security”.
The report welcomes the focus on soil health in Defra’s first Environmental Land Management scheme – the Sustainable Farming Incentive – and the NFU is now calling for grant schemes that encourage the uptake of technology to boost productivity through reduced soil compaction and erosion.
“I think it means more intensive forms of horticulture, but I’d like the focus to be across all productive systems. I hope the strategy catches everything.
Mr Abbey “Cookingsays.skills are also centred on baking rather than cooking in most cases. It is absolutely critical that the ‘six healthy recipes’ kids will be taught should meet the Eatwell Guide proportions, which have 40% fruit and veg.” Environment and pay
Good in (most) places There’s an overall positive view of the Food Strategy’s intentions, even if it comes with caveats. NFU Horticulture Board chairman Martin Emmett describes the strategy as “an opportunity for our sector”, particularly in its ambition to expand fruit and vegetable production. However he remains concerned that if growers do not have the confidence to invest, then that opportunity will be missed. “I’m a little bit worried about the use of some language around ‘industrial horticulture’,” he adds.
Part of the commitment in that strategy is horticultural growth, and the NFU Horticulture Board wants to Thehelp.”NFU team is already working in a number of areas that might be linked to that ambition, gathering evidence for an extension of the Seasonal Worker Scheme, setting up an industry roundtable to discuss the development of the Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMs) for horticulture, continuing the development of a net-zero strategy, and working with the Fruit & Veg Alliance to make the case for greater fresh produce within health initiatives. boost production in sectors where there are post-Brexit opportunities – including horticulture – has been welcomed in fresh produce circles, with its commitment to “working with growers to develop a world-leading horticulture strategy for England”, focused on diverse growing models and high-tech production.
On reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the environmental impacts of the food system, Mr Abbey says that the horticulture sector already has a sharp focus there through the adoption of efficient technologies and growing systems. And while more needs to be done, he warns that the sector is at a disadvantage because its variety of production systems all have different challenges, with a lack of baseline data a significant barrier to improvement. Elsewhere, goals to increase pay, employment and productivity are more thorny for horticulture, which is conversely hoping to reduce its reliance on labour. Mr Abbey believes that productivity can be underpinned by government investment and the introduction of new schemes, and stresses that the sector should not be singled out as ‘low paid’ or have special measures such as artificially higher wages for seasonal workers applied to it.
Food Strategy secondary schools, seems to be currently based on fast-food offerings,”
11
There is also the welcome aspiration for horticulture to harness new trade routes and to boost exports from the current, relatively low levels. The goal to halve childhood obesity by 2030 would also appear to play into the sector’s hands. As NFU chief horticulture adviser Lee Abbey points out, there are countless studies linking improved health outcomes with an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption, and, while the ambition is limited in detail, it should bring opportunity to the sector despite the lack of specific mentions of fresh produce in the strategy itself. “We welcome a focus on school food provision which, especially in Autumn 2022
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A missed opportunity to support British glasshouse growers?
The most pressing of these include the need to expand the Seasonal Worker Scheme for horticulture to meet the sector’s labour needs; the delivery of a replacement to the Producer Organisation scheme that is open to the whole sector and drives productivity and efficiency; ensuring plant and produce import controls are efficient and cost effective; ensuring the peat strategy recognises the commercial constraints and delivers exemptions for key crops; securing the future of the emergency authorisations crop protection programme; better recognition of the horticulture sector in both ELMs and the Farming Investment Fund; creating an enabling planning policy for business expansion and worker accommodation; and ensuring the sector has sufficient access to water.
Fragile glasshouse sector
“We invited them to visit Lea Valley nurseries to see first-hand the innovative and efficient growing techniques and technology, however we didn’t receive a response,” Mr Stiles“Theadds.strategy from Defra of promoting new glasshouse
Autumn 2022 13
“The strategy from Defra of promoting new glasshouse developments is a complete labourreducingHomecontradictionpolicywiththeOcestrategyoftheavailableforce”
It’s not a short list, but the NFU believes it’s attainable and Mr Abbey says the horticulture team will liaise with Defra to kickstart the process for creating a joint industry/government strategy. Every step is another stride forward towards the UK horticulture sector achieving its full potential.
Read the NFU's response to the National Food Strategy, at strategy-nfu-responseinformation/government-food-NFUonline.com/updates-and-
Food strategy developments is a complete policy contradiction with the Home Office strategy of reducing the available labour force at a time when most growers are experiencing 40% worker“Whoshortages.willbeable to obtain finance to build new glasshouses when you cannot source sufficient numbers of workers? The robots are not here and are unlikely to be this decade. Even with a new Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, the developer will struggle to find a tenant.”
There are clear challenges facing certain sectors in particular right now, and that’s clouding those sectors’ views of how much can be achieved. Despite the government’s praise for the glasshouse sector and promises to include it within wider energy policy, Lee Stiles, secretary of the Lea Valley Growers’ Association (LVGA), describes the strategy as a “missed opportunity to support British glasshouse growers”. He points out that without government support, growers fear that spiralling energy prices will mean that they will not plant next year as it will not make financialDuringsense.theFood Strategy consultation, in October 2019, the LVGA proposed that a new subsidy system based on production and low environmental impact would enable growers to invest in future infrastructure and displace imports.
The key asks for Defra For the Food Strategy to deliver meaningful change and the worldleading horticulture strategy it promises, the NFU has a number of key asks of the government.
Essex figs Brook Farm has been running a long-term fig trial on a one-hectare block, with one or two varieties showing particular promise and cropping annually. The company says it has the potential to be a commercial crop, but would require a partner to invest to make it worth the risk.
A t Great Oakley in North Essex, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d taken a wrong turn and somehow ended up in the Mediterranean. Olive groves, lemon trees and figs are all on display at Brook Farm, where grower and NFU member Pete Thompson is determined to prove that location is no barrier when it comes to fresh produce supply.
“Production has really improved in the past 10 years and we are now far better prepared for the changeable British weather,” he says.
“You’re not going to change the fundamentals that customers are looking for at the moment – convenience and price,” says Mr Thompson. “So it’s got to be something easy to eat and affordable.
Michael Barker meets growers who are pushing the boundaries of British production Innovation It also planted a multi-variety trial of olives five years ago, with a second grove going in last year and an encouraging level of set fruit. Working with ingredients company Belazu, the business plans to make olive oil this winter, with the potential for fresh eating olives further down the line.
Autumn 202214
The most advanced of Thompson’s trials is on citrus, with Meyer lemon trees producing fruit successfully during the past three years. “It’s a crop that’s got real merits on its own in terms of the eating quality,” Mr Thompson explains. “It’s not just an English alternative – it’s something really good that you’d want to buy wherever it comes from. The fact that it’s English and local is even better.”
The crop pioneers
The ultimate goal of the trials, of course, is to make them more than a side hobby, but detailed conversations have already taken place with a retailer about the lemons, and the hope is that they could one day be sold in stores.
Apricots acclimatise Elsewhere, prolonged warmer weather has seen British watermelon production become viable in recent years. Growers such as Oakley Farms in Wisbech and Watts Farms in Kent have set the standard and there looks to be potential for furtherMeanwhile,development.British apricot production may not be new, but it is a crop that is now reaching significant volumes and, this year, David Moore, of Home Farm in Kent, produced a record 136 tonnes, which he is selling to Tesco.
“If you then need to establish a commercial area, that’s going to be another big lump of capital before you get a It’sreturn.”along-term undertaking, but for those willing to take the risk, at a time when food security is under scrutiny like never before, it could just pay off.
“Ironically, the cooler British nighttime temperatures produce very high quality apricots as the fruit grows more slowly, resulting in a more intense and sweet taste plus a stronger, richer colour than imported varieties.”
Both Mr Thompson and Mr Moore agree that sufficient light levels are critical to success in non-typically British crops. And while for financial reasons growers do not want to be adding artificial heat, crop covers are essential to combat the uncertainties of the British Ultimately,climate.novelty is all well and good, but the numbers have to stack up too.
Mr Thompson is one of an increasing number of UK growers who are trying their hand at crops not traditionally grown here, as a combination of climate change and varietal developments opens up tempting new avenues for adventurous producers.
British figs are being trialled
The most advanced of Thompson’s trials is on citrus, with Meyer lemon trees producing fruit successfully during the past three years
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T he NFU’s mid-season member labour survey reveals an average worker shortage of 14.3%, in the first half of 2022. As a result of the shortage so far this season, 56% of growers responding to the survey reported a fall in horticultural production, averaging 19% across those businesses. In addition, £22 million of crops were lost due to insufficient people to pick and pack the Concernsproduct.arethat reductions will continue into the 2023 season, with respondents also indicating a further
NFU ASKS OF GOVERNMENT
Survey results As the NFU’s mid-season labour survey results are released, Hayley Campbell-Gibbons looks at what shortages have meant for growers Labour fall in production of more than 4% due to a shortfall of staff. Reasons for the shortage include a failure of workers to show up (17.5% of the total) and staff terminating their contract early to return home or seeking alternative employment (9.4% of the total). The majority, 62.7%, of seasonal workers employed by growers were recruited via the Seasonal Worker Scheme (SWS).
The NFU is lobbying the Home Office, and providing evidence to Defra for an expanded SWS in 2023, with more visas and a longer term (minimum five years)Foodscheme.wasteand food security are strong political drivers for making the increase, particularly in light of the recently-published ‘Government Food Strategy’, which describes an ambition to increase UK fruit and vegetable production.Anexpanded scheme would provide sufficient numbers of workers to bring home the harvest in 2023. However, it would need to be announced by the autumn to provide growers with the confidence to invest in planting and enable scheme operators to plan
Autumn 202216
NFU Horticulture Board Chairman, Martin Emmett is urging Defra to expand the review’s remit to include British ornamentals: “The plant sector contributes a huge £1.4 billion to the UK economy. It is currently not included, which means it could face significant waste and financial losses due to workforce shortages, thereby reducing its current positive contribution to the country overall.” The final report will be published in 2023. The NFU will monitor progress. Autumn 2022 17
Percentage of workers that left their contract early: 9.4%
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“While there must be a focus on long-term workforce requirements and business resilience in the future, including things like boosting domestic recruitment and automation, farmers and growers are seriously concerned about how they will get the workforce they need right now. This review cannot overlook the immediate and pressing issues the food supply chain is facing as weThespeak.”review will span all major agricultural production sectors, but currently excludes ornamentals.
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The percentage of SWS workers that left early, who did so to transfer to another visa: 14%
•
Percentage of workers that came through the SWS: 62.7%
Percentage of workers that businesses expect to employ through the SWS in 2023: 69.1% recruitment accordingly.
“With the demand on the Seasonal Workers Scheme expected to increase again next year, it’s vital the scheme has the capacity to facilitate the people the sector needs to pick, pack and process the country’s fruit and vegetables,” says NFU Vice-president Tom“ThisBradshaw.meansincreasing the number of visas available to meet the sector’s needs and expanding it to a minimum of a five-year rolling scheme to enable growers to have confidence to invest in their businesses – particularly given growth in the horticultural sector is a government ambition set out in the National Food Strategy. “This survey has demonstrated just how crucial it is for fruit and veg growers to have access to the workforce they need. Expanding the Seasonal Workers Scheme will play a vital role in enabling that access and ensuring we don’t see this devastating level of food waste next year.” In addition, the NFU continues to lobby for the removal of the £10.10 per hour SWS wage, and revert to National Minimum Wage legislation.
Percentage of workers recruited that did not turn up: 17.5%
Labour KEY FINDINGS
DEFRA INDEPENDENTANNOUNCESREVIEW INTO LABOUR SHORTAGES
Growers need an expanded scheme to be announced this autumn has the workforce it needs to continue producing, picking, packing and processing high quality, affordable and sustainable food for the nation.
Percentage of workers that were returnees: 33%
Defra has launched an independent review into labour shortages within the food supply chain. Chaired by John Shropshire, former CEO of G’s Fresh Group, the review will consider the challenges facing food and farming businesses to recruit and retain the labour they require. The final report will provide recommendations for government to tackle labour shortages - assessing the potential for automation, domestic employment and migration routes as part of its remit. NFU Deputy President Tom Bradshaw described the review as a catalyst for action. “We have long highlighted the impacts of workforce pressures across the food and farming sector, so this review is much needed. We hope it will act as a catalyst for government to take action to ensure the food supply chain
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“Growers are being hit by three things in particular right now – labour, fuel and fertiliser,” Mr Futter says, “and the increases are at a scale that have never been seen before”. He adds: “It’s important that costs are realised further up the supply chain, particularly with the retailers, because growers cannot absorb those levels of cost. If they’re not realised, what we’ll end up with is growers choosing not to plant, and then we’ll be facing an even bigger crisis.” Retailers can’t fail to acknowledge that costs are going up, but that doesn’t mean to say they will hand out increased returns without a fight.
Mr Futter says buyers are adopting all manner of tactics, from delaying requests, to escalating them to other teams and even ignoring them altogether. “They will use every tactic possible to delay, reduce or remove the increase,” he explains. Gaming the negotiation
That’s why it’s more important than ever to be prepared and understand how to tackle those complex negotiations, and one consultancy is offering growers a crash course in how to survive and prosper in this most stressful of situations.
Ged Futter has more than 26 years’ top-level experience in retail, having been a senior buying manager at Asda. He has worked in a range of highprofile categories, and his consultancy, The Retail Mind, which he runs with fellow FMCG veteran David Miles, has organised a series of workshops in collaboration with the NFU to help arm growers with the tools to achieve the price rises they need. retailer’sthemind
A t a time when suppliers could hardly have more on their plates, dealing with stubborn retail buyers who are determined to keep their price down is the last thing they need.
Inside
negotiation. “What we do is we demystify what it’s like being a buyer, and we demonstrate where the power actually sits,” he says. “It’s a process that anybody can follow. It’s not about huge amounts of documents, but if you do the preparation and the planning beforehand then you are going to be more successful getting the inflation that you need.” If price negotiations feel like a case of David versus Goliath, Mr Futter has a surprising message for UK growers right now. With energy costs in Europe going through the roof – and gas even being rationed in some countries –alongside huge transport cost increases, supermarkets simply don’t have the option of importing cheaper produce from abroad. That means domestic growers are ideally placed to achieve the increases they need. The situation may even lead to more of the longer-term, three-tofive year contracts that are starting to be handed out in categories including potatoes and eggs. Quite simply, Mr Futter says price rises are on the way – and he doesn’t have much sympathy for retailers who are posting hundreds of millions, or even billions of pounds’ worth of profits. “Price rises are inevitable – it’s just a case of how much,” he stresses.
“And when you see shortages, you see prices going up.” Autumn 2022
19
Supermarket buyers are doing all they can to keep prices down, but as retail expert Ged Futter tells Michael Barker, well-prepared suppliers may now hold the aces Price negotiations
The workshop puts participants in real-life scenarios, with Mr Futter playing the role of buyer so the supplier can practice presenting their case. Preparation is key, and being able to show exactly where costs are increasing and why a rise is needed is fundamental to a successful Two more of The Retail Mind’s workshops are scheduled for this year, taking place on 4 October and 6 December. NFU members can access a workshop at a 40% discount of £300 + VAT per person. Find out more on NFUonline or ring NFU Callfirst on 0370 845 8458.
So what are the group’s objectives and how does it hope to make real and lasting change?
The operation, led by West Midlands Police, uncovered the UK’s largest-ever modern slavery network, and in July 2019 eight offenders from two Polish organised criminal groups were jailed for between three and 11 years, after being convicted of crimes including trafficking, conspiracy to require another to perform forced labour,
In the face of this, a group of interested parties from across the food supply chain have taken matters into their own hands, setting up a Modern Slavery Intelligence Network (MSIN) to seize control of the narrative and put labour abusers on the back foot.
t seems perverse to think that, in 2022, cases of modern slavery could actually be on the rise. But a unique combination of factors is heaping pressure on labour supply chains and creating an environment in which unscrupulous operators are seeking to take advantage of desperate individuals and horticultural businesses facing a chronic shortage of workers.
A groundbreaking network of collaborators is taking steps to eliminate modern slavery from the UK food supply chain.
In 2019, Operation Fort resulted in jail terms for eight offenders from two organised crime groups
In early 2020, Paul Willgoss, then technical director of M&S, and John Shropshire, executive chairman at vegetables giant G’s, came together as co-chairmen to found MSIN, a network that has initially brought together 14 organisations from food producers to
A landmark case MSIN has its roots in the seminal Operation Fort, the ramifications of which have reverberated among labour users and providers alike.
The network’s formation is timely, and not just because of Operation Fort. “We know now that there is a lack of labour in the market in a way that we didn’t even imagine back in January 2020,” says Mr Willgoss, referring to the huge impact that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had on the UK seasonal labour supply.
I
Michael Barker finds out more Worker welfare and money Hundredslaundering.ofvictims, it emerged, had been trafficked from Poland and forced to work in farms, factories, waste recycling plants and parcel-sorting warehouses, with their products entering the supply chains of some of the UK’s largest retailers. The operation led Anti-Slavery Commissioner Dame Sara Thornton to UKRAINE IMPACTS
“The consensus is that there are 19,000 or so fewer visas than are actually required for jobs on farms, and that creates an opportunity for exploitation. We need to disrupt this thing.”
Autumn 202220
labourClampingdownonabuse
Ms Dixon points out that G’s alone had more than 1,000 workers from Ukraine last year that have now had to be sourced from other countries. That’s led to a situation where the business has 17 di erent languages spoken among its seasonal workforce this year.
“Every step of the way the criminals are always one step ahead, and as the labour market gets tighter there’s more in it for them,” she“Wesays.have taken up the challenge to lead the way and to pull the industry together, to use our collective force against modern slavery and to protect the victims.” lay down the challenge to businesses to address the risks of slavery and trafficking within their supply chains.
“Another sector – a service sector – has already approached us to say they want to replicate our model,” Ms Dixon says. “That’s one of our measures of impact.” Indeed, there are many measures of the group’s success, but every piece of information is a step towards closing the door on those who would take advantage of vulnerable workers.
“One of the observations at that time was that there was lots of intelligence, but it was in pockets here and there and no individual business could see the total picture,” recalls Mr Willgoss, who now runs his own consultancy called PW Food & Farming. “But, actually, if you can create trust around a number of different businesses then you’ve then got a chance of creating a view of the whole picture collectively.”
The next step for the network is to appoint a part-time manager and encourage more members to join, which would paint a more vivid picture and bring extra funding for the group’s objectives.
The information shared can be anything from examples of direct exploitation witnessed here in the UK to testimonials from workers forced to, for example, pay fees in their home country before arrival. Rumour and hearsay can also be fed into the system, and if it is repeatedly heard by different members, can be flagged up to the community to warrant further investigation. Mutual trust vital Setting up an information-sharing network is not as straightforward as one might think. There are legal hurdles around protection of individuals’ identities – which is especially important for a victimcentric organisation – as well as the requirements of GDPR. Then there’s the pure sensitivity and risk involved for a company to reveal to competitors and even customers that it could have a modern slavery issue in its business. Mutual trust is vital. To overcome these issues, MSIN works with anti-labour abuse charity Stop the Traffik, which manages an anonymised database for the network in which both companies’ and victims’ data is protected. Only Stop the Traffik has full visibility, allowing it to judge when to alert member organisations to potential issues and encourage them to investigate further.
The brief was simple, but the task was ambitious: to create a unique collaboration of organisations who would share intelligence, with the ultimate goal of disrupting labour abusers’ operations and creating a safer, fairer environment for staff.
Worker welfare Gathering accurate data on the crime is di cult, but a Home O ce report says that In 2020-2021: >10,000 referrals were made to the government's modern slavery reporting mechanism, with criminal exploitation the leading form of modern slavery 8,730 cases were dealt with by police, up 5% on the previous year 34% of the victims referred were from the UK 15% of the victims referred were from Albania 6% of the victims referred were from Vietnam IN
“The more members the better,” says Beverly Dixon, group HR director at G’s and chair of MSIN’s technical group. “That means more information and more trend analysis. But one of the key fundamentals is that it’s a community of trust and you must sign up to that ethos and be open and share information. You can’t get information out if you don’t put anything in.”
Ms Dixon describes the network as “a community as much as a database”, with quarterly face-to-face meetings held to discuss learnings and examples of both good work and areas for improvement. Mr Willgoss adds that the network will look to increase its membership in stages, with an aim that getting over 50 would give it strong sectoral and geographical coverage. It can be difficult to quantify what constitutes success in these early days, but the first eight weeks of information sharing already led to two reports being passed on to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA).
The hope is that, ultimately, abuses will lead to convictions and opportunities for exploitation will be stifled. And the network’s unique model hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The O ce of National Statistics says modern slavery numbers are likely to be far higher because of its ‘hidden’ nature. ‘Many cases remain undetected and unreported,’ it said in a 2020 report.
Autumn 2022 21
Find out more about the network at msin.org.uk manufacturers and several of the country’s leading retailers.
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Autumn 2022 23
Currently, 97% of all UK exports are eligible for tariff-free entry into Mexico under the existing agreement, but the vast majority of UK food products face prohibitive tariffs. UK food and drink exports to Mexico were worth approximately £136 million between 2019 and 2021. The EU and Mexico upgraded the terms of their trade agreement in 2018, with the EU securing better access into the Mexican market for food and drinks. The agreement hasn’t been implemented yet due to political issues, but there is now an expectation on UK negotiators to secure better access to the Mexican agri-food market for British products, too.
MEXICO In May, the UK opened negotiations towards a new free trade agreement (FTA) with Mexico, to replace the existing post-Brexit ‘rollover’ trade deal inherited from our membership of the EU.
Opportunities Hopes are on exports of British dairy and pork products making the biggest gains from enhanced access to the Mexican agri-food market, with negotiations seeking to remove certain restrictions on animal and plant health certification.
Concerns
Hayley Campbell-Gibbons looks at the opportunities and potential concerns for British growers in the latest trade deal negotiations Trade
Mexico is a huge agricultural exporter. Significant investment in Mexican agricultural infrastructure has meant that it has exported more food than it has imported sinceThe2015.NFU has called for greater market access opportunities for British dairy, fruit and vegetables, poultry meat and organic goods, but there is concern over the potential for greater market access being given to Mexican exports of beef, eggs, sugar and horticultural goods into theTheUK.NFU wants any agreement to maintain safeguards for sensitive sectors that have the potential to be disrupted or undermined by Mexican imports during their respective British“Whileseasons.ourexisting agri-food trade with Mexico is modest, there are significant opportunities for British farmers to export more quality produce,” says NFU President Minette Batters. “For example, we know that there is demand for British dairy and meat, notably pork. “However, the government must remain aware that Mexico is a significant agricultural exporter which will want to increase its access to the prized UK market. Safeguards are needed for sensitive sectors.”
The UK government launched its FTA negotiations with Israel on 20 July 2022. The UK and Israel already have a preferential trade agreement (the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement), which was again rolled over from the UK's membership of the EU. In 2021, the UK exported £109m of agri-food and drink products to Israel, and imported £142m from the region.
Opportunities Israel has a small population of 9.39m, with Israeli consumers generally willing to pay more for high-quality products. There is an increasing demand for organic and 'natural' foods, which the UK is well placed to supply with its highly respected food safety and traceability rules.
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Concerns There are significant Israeli tari protections across the horticulture sector, which e ectively prohibit UK exports. These are set at 75% on cabbage, cauliflower, beetroot and other brassicas, and 213% on carrots, turnips, salad beetroots and other edible roots. Meanwhile, the UK has rolled over several inbound tarirelated quotas (TRQs) on imported Israeli products such as new potatoes (9,689 tonnes) and peppers (2,349t). These quotas were well utilised by Israeli exporters in 2018-21. The NFU's position is that concessions on access to the UK’s horticulture market must only be granted if our entire agri-food sector can access reciprocal gains.
Concerns
INDIA Autumn 202224
Opportunities India has not been an easy market to gain access to, putting the UK in a strong position if a deal is concluded. The government says that a UK-India agreement would help put Britain at the heart of the IndoPacific region, an area representing more than 40% of global gross domestic product and containing some of the world’s fastest-growing economies. An FTA would bring: • reduced barriers to trade in wider goods more opportunities for UK services and investment support for innovation and trade in a digital era opportunities for businesses across the UK, such as easier transfer of technology, and ability to set up joint ventures.
“The UK Government must consider the cumulative impact of both the FTAs currently being negotiated and those recently concluded to consider the possible combined bearing on the domestic sector.”
CANADA
The UK and Canada opened negotiations in the spring towards a new FTA. It's a deal that the NFU believes could increase exports of high-quality British food and drink.
Trade ISRAEL
The Canadian team will likely focus on gaining greater access to the UK's beef and pork market. Canada is one of the largest beef exporters in the world, exporting more than half of what it produces and is the world’s third largest pork exporter, exporting 70% of its pork production. Any import threat to the horticulture sector is considered low at this stage of the negotiations.
Opportunities Whilst increased exports of fruit and vegetables is possible, UK exports to Canada are typically high-value premium or speciality cheeses, making it an important market for the UK dairy sector to grow.
Negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the UK and India formally kicked o in January 2022, with plans to double the existing £23.3 billion worth of trade between the countries by 2030. This would represent an increase in UK exports to India by up to £16.7bn, with the caveat, strongly voiced by the NFU, that the UK’s high environmental, labour, food safety and animal welfare standards are protected.
Minette Batters, NFU President
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Stay across ther latest deals and developments at NFUonline.com/ hot-topics/international-trade
The negotiations will build on a post-Brexit 'roll-over' trade agreement, inherited from the UK's time as members of the EU, under which UK producers already benefit from tari -free trade on 98% of exported goods, including beef, lamb, pork, and fruit and vegetables.
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Cutting carbon is a major priority for every major supermarket and food business. All retailers and big food companies have targets (of some form) for reducing and removing emissions and understanding them, and the implications for suppliers, is important for growers. However, an inspection of corporate sustainability plans published in 2021/22 reveals huge inconsistencies in the targets.
A deep dive into corporate sustainability strategies reveals several key themes. Amongst them, that not all net zero targets are equal and that, by carrot or stick, suppliers will be expected to measure and report on carbon emissions, if they aren’t already.
climateMorrisonsSainsbury’s,Tesco,andWaitroseallpublicisetheirplanswith a very early net zero target of 2035
Autumn 202226
Who’s
Hayley Campbell-Gibbons takes a deep dive into the sustainability plans of the horticulture sector's biggest customers Supply chain lacking in clarity and might be accused of That’s‘greenwashing’.nottosay that any of the sustainability goals are wrong, as it’s an unregulated market. However, it’s safe to say that some aren't as good as they initially sound. The good The Cooperative gets the gold star for having the clearest plan and a target achievingfor net-zero across all scopes by 2040. It sustainabilityreductioncarbondistinguishesclearlybetweenneutral,emissionsandnetzeroinitsplan,andatno point makes a claim to be net zero ahead of the end point. A detailed strategy is in place to reduce as much carbon, and other GHGs, as possible from its own operations (scopes 1 and 2) and its supply chain (scope 3) before offsetting any residual emissions that cannot be reduced before 2040. Marks and Spencer is committed to a net zero target of 2040. It does include an early net zero target for its own business for 2035, which is out of line with the standards. However, M&S doesn’t lead with this, and overall the targets are transparent, with a more detailed roadmap due in 2022 with clear targets across all three scopes.
Lidl GB is committed to reaching net zero by 2050, through its parent company. The retailer has a straightforwardemissionsstrategy and GHG ‘supplier-led’beingscopeendaheadscopemilestonesreductionforeachofitsbusinessofthetargetdate.Theretailer’s3reductionsaretackledthroughaapproach.
So, how do the retailers’ targets stack up?
Scope for improvement Asda is partially there on its climate targets, with the right vision for reaching net zero, but much more work to do on data, delivery, and measuring and target setting for scope 3. It’s worth noting that former owners Walmart came under fire in the US for its sustainability targets.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose all publicise their climate plans with a very early net zero target of 2035. Yet, this only applies to scopes 1 and 2, with insufficient detail where
There are several examples of targets that do not satisfy the Science-based Targets (SBTi) standards for net zero (see panel ), and others where communications around targets are the greenest of them all?
P ropelled by political, consumer and shareholder interest, retailers and big businesses are leading the charge on climate concerns in the food supply chain, with big ambitions and some big results.
Carbon neutral Any company and any product can achieve carbon neutral status by calculating carbon emissions and compensating for what is produced via carbon o setting projects in line with an internationally-recognised standard, PAS 2060. The boundary of a carbon neutral claim can refer to a specific product or operation, instead of encompassing all scopes of an organisation's value chain (scopes 1, 2 and 3), as in the case of net zero.
Net zero is the point at which all greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere are equivalent to the greenhouse gases being removed from the atmosphere on a global scale. However, this is open to interpretation in di erent ways and the SBTi is concerned that corporate net zero targets are being approached inconsistently, in particular, the range of emission sources and activities included in the target – is it all scopes, or just 1 and 2, for example?
Autumn 2022 27
• If scope 3 emissions make up over 40% of total emissions, which they will for grocery retailers, food service companies and big food brands, then at least two-thirds of scope 3 emissions must be included in the short-term target, increasing to 95% in the long term.
Targets that may have seemed reasonable two years ago can quickly become out of date, and understanding scope 3 requirements and emissions measurement is a mammoth task. Most companies covered in this report acknowledge that their targets will need to be reviewed regularly. There is also a recognition that companies with large scope 3 emissions tails linked to food and farming need guidance and flexibility on how to calculate, measure and mitigate emissions. The SBTi is publishing specific guidance, due later this year.
Tricky territory In fairness to retailers, they are all having to move fast when it comes to climate policy and carbon impacts.
Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain, including those associated with producing the products they purchase and sell, e.g. from farming and growing.
• Near and long-term reduction targets; namely a requirement to halve emissions by 2030, and cut 90-95% by 2050, before any residual GHGs are removed and net zero reached.
• Rapid, deep emissions cuts across scopes 1, 2 and 3 in line with keeping global temperature increase below 1.5°C.
Net zero
To this end, suppliers are already being tasked with setting their own science-based targets to help retailers reduce scope 3 emissions. The bottom line is that, whether by a carrot or stick approach, pressure on big business to decarbonise will filter down to suppliers, who will be expected to lower their own impacts in turn.
Several retailers are focused on ‘working with’ suppliers to reach their climate and sustainability goals, with the livestock sectors perhaps further ahead. Yet, large suppliers who represent 75% of a category are also being obliged by retailers to make significant progress independently on carbon as a condition of future business.
Supply chain scope 3 is concerned. Based on the best available information, their actual net zero target is 2050. Waitrose and Morrisons have since announced that they are re-establishing targets for all scopes in line with the SBTi standard.
Corporate climate targets explained: Know your scopes
Greenhouse gas emissions are categorised into three groups or ‘scopes’ by the most widely-used international accounting tool, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from a business’s own sources (such as transport). Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity.
The Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
For most retailers and food businesses, 75-99% of their total carbon footprint lies in scope 3. As such, any target that doesn't include this is pretty meaningless. To address this problem, in October, just ahead of COP26, the SBTi launched the world's first corporate 'net-zero standard'. To satisfy this, a target must include:
This has become the globally-accepted standard for companies setting carbon reduction targets. The SBTi is a partnership between the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It promotes best practice in emissions and net-zero targets and independently assesses and approves companies’ targets, in line with strict criteria.
• Lastly, but importantly, no net zero claims should be made until the long-term targets are met.
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T he future of UK crop protection post-AHDB is looking more secure after an collaborationindustry-ledannounced plans to fill the vacuum. With AHDB Horticulture set to wind down its operations by March 2023, there have been concerns over how vital work around EAMUs (Extensions of Authorisation for Minor Use) will be carried out. Now, working through British Growers and its network of crop associations, a steering group has been set up under the chairmanship of Cobrey Farms’ John Chinn to explore how to ensure that applications for crop control products can continue uninterrupted. Big issue “Before seasonal labour became an issue, crop protection and the availability of chemistry was the number-one issue affecting all growers,” explains British Growers’ chief executive Jack Ward. “We are hoping people recognise that if you want a product to be used and to go through an EAMU process, then somebody has to fund it. If we don’t have that chemistry there’s only going to be one loser, and that’s the individual grower.” Mr Chinn’s steering group is aiming to set up a new company, operating on a not-for-profit basis, which will continue the EAMU function with a voluntary subscription model. Owned by a collective of crop associations, the intention is to manage the EAMU process with administrative support from British Growers. “This will give the industry control over the direction and costs of the
Collaboration organisation,” Mr Ward says. “These were two main issues where growers expressed their concerns during the AHDB ballot.”
Who’s involved?
“We are hoping people recognise that if you want a product to be used and to go through an EAMU process, then somebody has to fund it. If we don’t have that chemistry there’s only going to be one loser, and that’s the individual grower.”
A new not-for-profit company is being proposed to handle the industry’s EAMU applications in the post-AHDB era
The message is it’s a voluntary scheme, but people need to support it.”
Comprising British Apples & Pears, British Berry Growers, the British Tomato Growers Association and the Cucumber Growers Association, it is also looking into a voluntary levy system to ensure the industry does not lose its collective research and development capabilities.
“The work won’t be exclusive to those growers who subscribe because what you’re doing is asking the CRD to give an authorisation to a product, and once the authorisation is given you can’t restrict the use or sale of that chemical,” he points out. “So we’ll have to appeal to people’s better nature and the more people join in, the less the financial burden will be.
Protecting the industry’s future
Jack Ward British Growers' chief
executiveAutumn 2022 29
WHAT ABOUT R&D? ornamental horticulture.
Discussions are ongoing about the cost of running the operation – which Mr Ward says will be kept as lean as possible while remaining fit for purpose – and how these can be shared across a diverse network of growers producing different crops and with differing crop protection needs.
Mr Ward hopes that despite the voluntary blueprint, growers will appreciate how vital the work is.
Each crop association is working on a five-year plan for research and development and will consult with members during the summer and autumn of this year, the group said.
Along with Mr Chinn and Mr Ward, the steering group is comprised of NFU Horticulture Board Chairman Martin Emmett and former chair Ali Capper, as well as Louise Sutherland, Phil Pearson, Emma Garfield, Andy Richardson, Claire Donkin and Mark Taylor. The group will meet regularly with the aim of setting up the new company as soon as practicably possible and providing a clearer indication of costs, and there are also plans to set up an invoicing process for those not in crop associations.
The new company will represent the interests of the whole of edible and Meanwhile, another collaboration of grower groups announced in July that it was exploring ways of ensuring that industry research and development continues, once AHDB Horticulture closes its doors.
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he dual crises of labour shortages and spiralling inflation were the big issues on everyone’s lips at Fruit Focus in Kent in July. The topics dominated the agenda in the NFU Fruit Forums, where a series of industry heavy hitters discussed the current challenges facing the UK horticulture sector. Martin Emmett, chair of the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board, outlined the scale of the problem facing production horticulture, with the NFU estimating a current worker shortage of around 19,600 people. “The trouble is we can’t characterise
Autumn 2022 31
T
Fruit in focus
Missing expertise One of the problems growers currently face, according to Mr Emmett, is not just securing enough labour, but the level of productivity that is derived from each individual. As such a large percentage of seasonal workers last year came from Ukraine, labour agencies have had to recruit from further afield and use previously untapped sources.Thatreduction in returning labour means having to train new staff from scratch, while a further unforeseen issue is that workers from many of those new-stream countries are less inclined to work the same levels of overtime as more established worker19,600TheestimatedshortfallinUKhorticulture
Two big challenges facing growers were top of the agenda at the recent Fruit Focus event. Horticulture journalist Michael Barker reports Fruit that shortage in terms of them being jobs that you can see exist and aren’t being filled,” he explained. “Instead, it’s a case of crops that aren’t being picked or not being planted. It’s a very cryptic effect, but we estimate the overall deficit is 19,600.”
“We know that you can’t just say ‘why can’t we get British workers out there in the fields and polytunnels harvesting?’,” he said. “They don’t want to do it, there are all kinds of issues associated with why that’s not possible.
Role of Brits played down
“We will continue working to meet your labour needs, but of course this is against the background of stricter immigration control.” sources. At least 60% of seasonal labour came from Ukraine, Russia or Belarus last year, according to Simon Bowyer, chief executive of labour provider Concordia, who added that a knock-on of having to find new source countries is that Home Office visa processing times have leapt from three to six Thatweeks.hasmeant workers missed peak soft-fruit seasons and many didn't arrive until August. Consequently, labour agencies are now recruiting for top fruit and winter veg instead.
Deputy director at Defra, Tim Mordan, insisted that the department is in regular contact with the industry and is sympathetic to its predicament, with George Eustice himself a grower.
“From the farms’ point of view, you get new workers from new locations when you expected experienced people, and they then need to acclimatise to the way we work in the UK. It’s been a big learning curve and training exercise for farmers,” he added.
Fruit
While stressing that horticulture is, in a sense, lucky as it is the only sector (along, now, with poultry) with a dedicated scheme exempt from normal immigration rules, Mr Mordan also appeared to admit the government approach on British labour may be unrealistic.
Autumn 202232
DEFRA CHIEF ON LABOURDOMESTIC
A further issue is different regulatory regimes and cultural assumptions in new source countries, Mr Bowyer explained, and to that end Concordia has launched a Pay No Fees campaign to ensure workers are not exploited in their homeland by being duped into paying upfront fees by middle men.
The government has demanded, as part of its conditions for offering seasonal worker visas, that growers get more Brits working in horticulture, but Mr Emmett said this is a red herring as Job Centres are trying to find people permanent positions, not temporary seasonal worker places. He also heavily criticised the impacts of the mandatoryMartin Emmett makes a point during the NFU Fruit Forums At least 60% of seasonal labour came from Ukraine, Russia or Belarus last year
Autumn 2022 33
“There’s always some cost you can take out, but lots of the leading businesses are pretty lean already. Growers are rationalising the range of crops, varieties or pack sizes and only focusing on the ones that make them“Wemoney.could see further consolidation of the industry – some people won’t make it through this period and it will be a fairly brutal process.”
NFU ChrisBoardandHorticulturePotatoesmemberNewenham
“Some say they are losing money hand over fist and bank managers and shareholders may begin to question it.
“The concern from these companies is they’d be unable to pass these cost pressures on to their customers,” Mr Giles said. “If this carries on for too much longer they’d have a number of options – to cut production, by perhaps 10% on average – or in some cases to stop altogether.
Mr Newenham’s business has forward-purchased fertilisers and packaging, and invested in LED lights and new growing systems. It is installing field-scale solar and is working with the University of Essex on a robotics project, among other innovations. “It's just about staying in the game for the next couple of years,” he concluded.
Fruit minimum £10.10/hr visa condition –which he described as “fundamentally wrong” at a time of cost price inflation. Ultimately, not knowing if they will have sufficient labour drains growers’ confidence to reinvest, he added. “We now have a food strategy, and it has a target to expand fruit and vegetable production, but we will miss that opportunity if we can’t give our sector the confidence it needs to invest. Not just in the basic infrastructure, but in longer-term things like automation.” Stay up to date with YOUR sector at NFUonline.com/hort
inflation is running at 28.4% in the past year, suggesting things are actually getting worse.
The other big talking point at Fruit Focus was the spiralling costs of production, fuelled by huge energy and input cost rises.
Chris Newenham, joint managing director at Wilkin & Sons and an NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board member, said there was “no silver bullet” to the current cost pressures, but stressed that his company is analysing everything it does in microscopic detail and seeking marginal gains everywhere it can. “Success in a season like this boils down to achieving yields in the first place, having really good-quality fruit, minimising our picking costs and selling our fruit as e ectively as we can, which means staying as close to the customer as possible,” he said.
‘IT’S ABOUT STAYING IN THE GAME FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS’ A VARIETY FIT FOR A QUEEN In the Queen’s jubilee year, NIAB and Frank P Matthews have launched a new early-season plum that crops six-to-seven weeks earlier than Victoria. Launched at Fruit Focus and said to be firm, yet sweet and juicy, Malling Elizabeth is aiming to meet demand for a Victorialike fruit that both yields well and has great eating quality. “Malling Elizabeth has been trialled at NIAB’s Plum Demonstration Centre at East Malling and across grower sites in the UK since 2015, where it has proven to be a consistent cropper,” said NIAB business development manager Will Roberts. “It has proven popular with everyone who has viewed and tasted the variety, and includes that essential ‘wow factor’ that Victoria-like plums can produce.”
John Giles, divisional director at Promar International, outlined a temperature-taking project his consultancy did with the NFU earlier this year, which interviewed 18 leading UK grower organisations.Thereportfound double-digit inflationary pressure across the board, with “no escape” for any sector of andand9pareProductionhorticulture.costsperpackupby13pinmushrooms,intomatoes,7pinlettuceapples,and5pinonionsbroccoli.Recentreportsindicateagricultural
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Mr Rooke said the DMN authorisation had been a priority for the NFU Potato Forum. He added: “We’re one of the last potatogrowing countries to get it, and it has been illogical and frustrating that treated potatoes have been imported, but we have not been able to use it Thehere.”authorisation, which covers Great Britain only, runs until August 2025 for sale and distribution, with final use by August 2026. It allows up to six treatments with a four-week interval per batch, with a 30-day minimum period following treatment before potatoes can be removed from store.
“It’s long overdue but comes as a great relief –it’s one bit of good news in what’s proving to be a really challenging season.”
It's been a long road, but an important addition to the sprout suppression toolbox, DMN, has received a full GB approval
DMN approved
Chairman Tim Rooke said: “It’s long overdue but comes as a great relief – it’s one bit of good news in what’s proving to be a really challenging season. “We’ve had to rely on orange and mint oils, in combination with growing-season applications of maleic hydrazide for the past two seasons. “But with crops under stress and senescing early this year, most growers will not have been able to use maleic hydrazide. We could have been left very exposed to the risk of not being able to store right through the season.”
“Feedback from our users shows they have found it to have excellent efficacy as well as leaving tubers with a good skin bloom and finish and they have also reported a reduction in compression damage and bruising.”
Forum priority Responding to the news, NFU Potato Forum Autumn 2022 35
Potatoes
Tim Rooke Potato Forum chairman
A decision here has been six years-plus in the making from DormFresh’s initial application, and had most recently been anticipated in October 2021, following a limited UK emergency authorisation of DMN in 2020. Applied in store as a hot fog as the product 1,4Sight, the active ingredient is a synthetic copy of a volatile compound that occurs naturally in potatoes and inhibits sprouting by maintaining the tuber’s metabolism in a dormant state, rather than just burning off the sprouts. This may also result in less weight loss during storage.
DormFresh technical manager Ajay Jina said growers would have “an important new option in their toolbox for sprout control over a full storage season”. He welcomed an “important step forward for the GB potato sector”. Mr Jina, who previously worked at Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research (SBCSR), highlighted the wealth of independent data on the product from trials there since 1999. He added: “We also have a lot of experience with it in commercial stores in Europe as it was approved for use in the Netherlands in 2015, for example.
P otato sprout suppressant (1,4-Dimethylnapthalene),DMNhas been given a long-awaited full approval for use in Britian following more than two years of campaigning from the NFU and the industry after the withdrawal of TheCIPC.development marks a significant win for the sector and will help to alleviate mounting storage concerns this season, particularly given the unsuitability of conditions for in-field applications of products such as maleic hydrazide, which can support spearmint oil and orange oil store treatments.
Manufactured by DormFresh, DMN has been available to growers in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and New Zealand since the late 1990s. In more recent years, its use has been approved fn 23 EU countries.
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No easy ride...
If you’re interested in finding out more about the forum, please don’t hesitate to contact myself or one of the Horticulture and Potatoes team.
“DMN is a good example of why challenges often come hand-in-hand with opportunities... it is essential that we identify these”
It hasn’t all been bad news, though. We had a breakthrough for the sector with the granting of a full GB authorisation for DMN. I won’t go into too much detail on DMN here as we’ve covered it elsewhere in this issue (see p35), but it has been a major focus for the Potato Forum and will give growers a helping hand that they desperately need at the moment.
DMN is a good example of why challenges often come hand-in-hand with opportunities, and it is essential that we’re able to identify these. The recent Government Food Strategy contains an ambition to produce a ‘world leading strategy’ to boost production and growth across horticulture, and we must ensure that potatoes are fully represented with that. Whatever challenges or opportunities we are faced with, the Potato Forum is an essential conduit for feeding in regional and sectoral situations, and ensuring that we are working towards solutions that will benefit all potato growers.
I
Autumn 2022 37
Highlighting value As we head deeper into a cost-of-living crisis, I think it’s important that communicate the good value of the potato. It feels like there’s plenty of scope for more public-facing messaging on making the most of potatoes, even as simple as cutting your potatoes smaller so that they cook quicker and use less energy.
t hasn’t been an easy ride since I took over from Alex Godfrey as chair of the NFU Potato Forum in the spring, having been in the role of vice-chair for several years. One of the key issues that was immediately facing growers was the invasion of Ukraine and the impacts arising from that and, sadly, that doesn’t seem like it’ll be resolved any time soon, although some of the immediate supply chain concerns have since been mitigated. The situation in Ukraine has also been adding further pressures to cost inflation and, in particular, energy price increases. Diesel price increases are a concern across agriculture, but for potatoes, many of us also have storage costs to factor in. More recently however, we’ve been contending with something we’re a bit more familiar with – the weather. This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve had to contend with weather impacts, with both too much and too little rain in recent years, but the record-breaking temperatures along with the lack of rainfall have presented particular problems this time. Even those of us who have been able to irrigate have faced tremendous challenges, and it’s inevitable that we’ll be seeing some impacts going forward, regardless of how much rain we have from now. Although in many cases the damage is done, a bit of rain now will at least help us avoid further damage to the crop during harvesting.
Potato Forum
NFU Potato Forum chair Tim Rooke reflects on a busy first few months
We grow carrots and parsnips and Chantenay carrots in fields throughout the UK. How many people do you employ?
Photos by: John Cottle
545employsHuntapacaboutstaaroundthecountry
We grow ourselves,everythingbutnoton one site. We rent fields on a one-year rental, primarily, and we will plough, drill and harvest and then turn the field back to what it was before we started and move on to the next field. We normally harvest the same field about once every seven years, to reduce the pest and disease pressure. We have offices in Yorkshire, Shropshire and the main office in Lancashire. The Yorkshire team looks after farming on the east coast and up to Scotland, the Shropshire team covers their area down to Norfolk, and here in Lancashire we cover the middle area and the processing and packing.
What do you grow?
The future is orange
Words by: Lorna Maybery
How do you source fields to rent?
What is growingyourmodel?
Stephen Shields, of leading carrot and parsnip growers Huntapac, talks to Lorna Maybery about the crops, the business model and future innovations Meet the grower throughout the estate. Does growing throughout the UK extend your season? Yes. We will start a new season harvest in Suffolk in early June and work up through the UK, with growing areas in Shropshire, some in Yorkshire. Then from September onwards we harvest across that central band, so Yorkshire, Shropshire, and Lancashire and that will be for all our Christmas suppliers. Then, post-Christmas, we go further up to Scotland to the Borders and end our season up towards Inverness.
What other benefits are there from growing on numerous sites? The east-west split is useful because if you get bad weather, it’s normally from the east, so we have the west side of the country to harvest from, and if it’s wet here and we can’t harvest, we go to the east. It helps us to deal with climatic changes better and also if there are pest or disease pressures in one area, we can move around. Our growing model is one of our USPs as a business. It’s helped the business to grow over the years. We always have a supply of carrots and can follow the weather through the seasons. By following this model, we can supply UK carrots 52 weeks of the year. What are the main challenges of growing carrots? Pest and disease are the main issues, with things like cavity spot. Parsnips are a bit different; they are harder to handle and are much more susceptible to adverse conditions than carrots – if it’s too frosty or too wet, parsnips will change colour. Land selection is a key challenge,
Our farm director goes out to allocate the fields for the next year. He will normally work with an estate or landowner and land will rotate
Autumn 202238
About 545 and that’s around the country. On the farming operation there is about 60-80 staff, in transport about 130, and the rest will be based here in Lancashire, either in packing or office staff.
Representing the business: Technical director Stephen Shields About the business Huntapac is owned by the Hunter family from Lancashire and is currently being run by the third and fourth generations of the family.
Stephen says Huntapac is a forward-thinking business with an eye on the future, especially when it comes to sustainability and net zero. He adds: “We always listen to what our customers want and are on the front foot with them. “We are putting things in place now that will help us next year, and the year after that, so when it comes to 2035 or 2040, we are in that net zero position.”
The grower: Huntapac Location: Nr Preston, Lancashire
Meet the grower
Crops: Carrots, parsnips and Chantenay carrots and asparagus
The business began life as a straw and hay merchants and moved into supplying produce in the 1970s with lettuces for Tesco. Then, in the 1980s, there was a consolidation and a decision to concentrate more on root vegetables like carrots and parsnips. “Last year we washed over 100K tonnes of carrots (inc Chantenay), and 17K tonnes of parsnips," says Stephen. “We supply about 12 retailers including Tesco, Waitrose, M&S, Co-op, Booths, Budgens and Spar.”
Stephen has been working at Huntapac for 16 years. “As technical director, I get involved in pretty much anything. I deal with all the retailers from a technical point, look at accreditations such as BRC, Red Tractor, Leaf, and I deal with the ethical side, including ethical audits, sustainability and net zero. I spin a lot of plates.”
Autumn 2022 39
The main thing is ensuring there is good accommodation. We own a few houses around here, some quite big, so we have changed them to Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) and we are going to house them here. Last year we put out 5,000 flyers in November and again in December, put up job adverts, and went to schools and colleges just trying to get people and it was difficult. We recognised two years ago that we couldn’t get the staff we need locally, so that’s when we invested in the SAWs scheme and local accommodation for workers.
How does processingthework?
What do you o er seasonal sta to encourage them to work for you?
Autumn 202240
“We recognised that we couldn’t get the sta we need locally, so that’s when we invested in the SAWs scheme and accommodationlocalforworkers”
If your operation has a high level of automation, do you need to use seasonal workers?
We only started with SAWs staff last year and that was successful, so we want them again this year. We took 60 or 70 workers last year and are looking for around 50 this year.
Only at Christmas. As an industry we have been pushing for seasonal worker numbers through SAWs to be increased, but as a business we don’t require them until November, and it falls okay for us because by that time all the summer agricultural work, like the strawberry pickers, have finished, so there is normally a bit of surplus in November and December. This is when we are hitting our peak orders and will take on staff.
Ideally, we look for a sandy soil, it gives carrots a smoother skin and doesn’t get corrugated, so Norfolk and along the coast in places like Scarborough are ideal. We don’t grow parsnips across the UK, it’s more localised to Yorkshire, Shropshire, as well as Norfolk and the Lincolnshire area. Where does the fresh produce go to be packed and distributed? Everything comes back here to Lancashire for washing and packing. We wash it all, cool it, grade it, pack it, then we distribute it using our own fleet of vehicles. We have about 60 vehicles and tractor units and about 120 fridges that distribute out to the customers’ depots, but they also do our bulk haulage, bringing the carrots from the fields to here.
Do you have much product wastage?
What happens to so-called ‘wonky’ carrots? We have different customers wanting different specifications, and some of these have wonky ranges, which is great, so any product that is not good for class 1 will get graded out and goes down another shoot towards the wonky line. If it’s not good enough for wonky we have another process which we have been working on for the past couple of years, where we capture the rest of the carrots, and take them to another site about eight miles from here where they are tipped on to a line and milled down into carrot puree, dried and finally ground into a very fine powder. It’s used as a colourant, as a food additive. It goes into veggie products, and it can go to the pharmaceutical industry. At present, we are just doing it for the pet food market until we find our feet with it, but this October we will get a BRC food accreditation for
The carrots get brought in by bulk into the intake bays and get washed, go through a polishing then cooling stage, and are then run over roller tables for size and width before finally getting to the graders, who will take out any with defects, leaving the good carrots to go on for packing. It’s quite a linear process.
How are carrots picked in the field? It’s very automated for carrots and parsnips. Normally, picking involves a team of about six, with one person running a harvester. This lifts up the full bed of carrots, which travel over a web. It shakes off the soil and they go onto a conveyor that takes them to the trailer. It’s been automated for a long time, but the kit has grown bigger over the years.
One of our major waste defects is broken carrots and what you do with them is the challenge. We have done a recent study with WRAP on field wastage, looking at our level of in-field wastage from the carrot harvest, which is very low, about 0.06%.
Meet the grower
getting the amount of land we need.
Tell me about your carbon zero carrots We dedicated a 30-acre field in Yorkshire as a trial field. It’s split into three 10-acre plots, all of which had a cover crop of radish growing on them. The first 10 acres has minimal inputs, natural processes and reduced tillage on the field. Then we put up a fence and put 83 sheep on it to eat the radish and also to increase the organic matter. The second plot is a control, which has been through our normal process. The third plot is a biological field, so it’s had minimal inputs and the inputs it has had are biological, rather than using nitrogen. All three sections are doing well and showing similar signs of growth. We have wildflower strips around the fields, and we use an AgriSound system. These are boxes with a solar panel you put into the field with the wildflower mixes and they monitor pollinator activity. It listens out to the beats per minute of insect wings and identifies which pollinator it is and will tell you how your flower mixes are doing, and when they are at their most productive. We also mapped the trial field before planting, to assess the organic matter, and we will do it again to see what the organic matter is like in all the plots at theWeend.are also looking at the carbon footprint in each one of the plots to see where the carbon is at and, finally, we will do an assessment when the carrots come for processing to see what sort of yield we get out of them. Then we’ll generate a final report to see which practices from those three areas we are going to take forward into next year’s trials. How are you investing for the future? We have innovations and investments going in to the packhouse – we are investing in camera graders and more packing machinery, just to reduce our labour head count. What do you enjoy most about your business? People think growing carrots and parsnips is straightforward, but there are so many different elements; every day is Theredifferent.aresomany challenges and that’s why as an industry it has kept my interest for so long. We are harvesting and packing today, and those carrots will be dispatched today and the day after, and we do that every day of the year. We don’t store them in boxes or pack them ahead of time, it’s very hand to mouth. As a business we are forward looking and preparing for the future challenges and opportunities whilst also dealing with the daily issues and being reactive to solve them – in this industry you need to be nimble!
the site, then we can sell it as an additive into the food sector.
Meet the grower Autumn 2022 41
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“I
Guest Column
To support farmers, we have boosted our grant programme to help unlock innovation, improve productivity and Minister of State at Defra Victoria Prentis looks at the challenges facing the horticulture sector profitability, as well as helping environmental sustainability. The UK currently produces only 23% of the cucumbers and 15% of the tomatoes supplied domestically. But with the right tools, such as multi-acre glasshouses and vertical farms, vibrant, growing sectors like these can expand significantly. We’ve already increased the Farming make farming support simpler and fairer. For example, in July, we opened the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which will support farmers to improve the health of their soil, which is at the heart of successful and profitable farming. Hundreds of people have applied, and I am pleased to see farmers embracing the scheme. But I know we need to go further. Automation offers lots of scope for horticulture. We recently published a dedicated review of automation in horticulture to explore how we can make better use of innovative technologies to help with tasks such as the picking and packing of fruit. We are carefully considering its findings and will publish our plans in the coming months. We also recognise the sector relies heavily on migrant labour, which is why we commissioned an independent review to be conducted by John Shropshire, former CEO of G’s Fresh Group, to consider the recruitment challenges facing food and farming businesses. I am eager to see his report so we can consider how to address this in the coming years.
T hroughout the summer, I have really enjoyed attending agricultural shows around the country and speaking to farmers who provide us with delicious local produce. In particular, I have had some detailed discussions with farmers in the commercial horticulture sector. I’m a real believer in buying local produce and one of the government’s top priorities is to increase our home-grown fruit and vegetable production. I come from a farming and fruit-growing family and know how challenging this harvest season has been, with some of the driest conditions in many years. As a government, we are working hard to ease restrictions around some of our countryside and environmental stewardship schemes, as well as working with the Environment Agency to flex abstraction licences where it’s possible.
The Seasonal Worker visa route has been expanded through to 2024, providing some immediate support to the sector whilst we explore other ways to reduce the sector’s reliance on foreign workers. We also released an additional 8,000 visas for horticulture workers in June, bringing the total available in 2022 up to 38,000 visas. It’s clear farmers are doing exceptional work and embracing some of the major changes they are facing –the biggest in a generation. If we can harness the enthusiasm and skills of everyone in our industry, I am confident we will be bringing in an ever-greater harvest.Victoria Prentis pictured at a previous Back British Farming Day Investment Fund for small technology grants from £17 million to more than £48m – supporting 4,000 farmers with their investment plans this year, and we also announced that we plan to commit £270 million across our Farming Innovation Programme up to 2029 for farmer-led research and development projects. This push towards innovation is underpinned by our Agricultural Transition Plan, which is designed to come from a farming and fruit-growing family and know how challenging this season has been...”
Autumn 2022 43
Autumn 202244 ContactJimmyCrickmoreon 07860823372 or 01904490776 www.chestertonsurfacing@yahoo.co.uk Unit 2GreystonesCourt,MoorLane, Towthorpe,YorkYO329ST CHESTER TO NS UR FACING OVE R4 5Y EARSEXPERIENCE JimmyCrickmore –ChestertonSurfacing Ihavebeeninvolvedwiththemanagementofthis Estatefor over15yearsandduringthattimeMr. Crickmorehasbeenemployedbyustoresurfacethe Estateroadson arotationalbasis. Icanconfirmhetreatsusin aresponsibleandfair mannerandthatwecontinuetobesatisfiedwith the standardofhiswork. Yoursfaithfully ChristopherOrmeAgentMountgarretEstates ● TA RM AC SU RFAC IN G ● GR OU N DW OR KS ● SU RFAC ED RE SS IN G ( H OT TA R&C H IPPING ) ● RE SURFAC IN G ● H OT TA RS PR AY ● CH IPPING ● CA RPAR KS ● DRIV EWAYS ● BONDED RE S IN TA RM AC ADAM &S URF AC INGSPECIALIST S Contractors to Local Authorities,National Trust, Strutt and Parker, Carter Jonas and Savills.
Since returning to the industry in 2013 after a successful career outside of agriculture, NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board member Louise Wright has been a key part of the Knapton family farm team, growing 120 acres of packing potatoes and arable crops on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds Headphones So many of my jobs on the farm are solitary, be that walking fields, checking the store or washing up spuds, and I’m always listening to something. It varies from music to farming and business podcasts, dramas and various news apps; there’s plenty of great content out there to keep me entertained. My diary I know the cool kids amongst us moved to digital formats ages ago, but I just can’t advance from my trusty paper version. I detail everything in there; meetings, social engagements, weekly food planning, the children’s swimming lessons, gymnastics, football... and that’s before I log lorries, deliveries, planting/harvest dates. The list is endless…
Autumn 202246
My teapot
Every single day must start with a proper cup of tea, unless I’m going for a run, in which case it comes after that. It has to come from a proper tea pot, it’s Yorkshire Tea, of course, and it is fully ca einated. It’s the very first thing I do, before I feed any animals, or my children for that matter! I can't live without...
Autumn 2022 47 Availableas1person2-row and2people2-row machines “It ’s agamechanger, it ’s completelytransformedour farming process. We useiton everything.I can’tknockit, we’re absolutelydelightedwithit.” InterPlant Weedercustomer JFHUDSON Inspiring Grea t Fa rmers 07803 765440 www.jfhudson.co.uk SPAPPERI Transplanters &InterPlant Weeders
Fullyventilated Solutionsfor: BabyLeaf Salads Fruit Vegetables NurseryStock PrecisionDesignedFilmCladGreenhouses Tel: 01404 823044 www.xlhorticulture.co.uk The Polythene People Email:uk@imagreenhouses.co.uk www.imagreenhouses.co.uk Email: info@xlhort.co.uk Long Life High Performance unnel Co ers
