HORTICULTURE SUMMER 2020

Summer 2020

For horticulture and potato members of the NFU

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Welcome

CONTACTS

“IT IS ALREADY CLEAR THAT THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 WILL STRETCH BEYOND 2020”

EDITORIAL Editor: Lorna Maybery t: 02476 858971 e: lorna.maybery@nfu.org.uk News editor: Tom Sales t: 02476 858676 e: tom.sales@nfu.org.uk Designer: John Cottle Writers: Spence Gunn Claire Shaddick NFU HORTICULTURE ADVISERS Lee Abbey Chief horticulture and potatoes adviser e: lee.abbey@nfu.org.uk Rupert Weaver Horticulture adviser e: rupert.weaver@nfu.org.uk Emily Roads Horticulture adviser e: emily.roads@nfu.org.uk ADVERTISING Jasbinder Saikhon jasbinder.saikhon@nfu.org.uk t: 02476 858952 PRODUCTION Heather Crompton COMMERCIAL Repro: NFU and AT Graphics Print: Stephen & George Photography: John Cottle, Istock, Getty, Gary Naylor

Let us know what you think about the magazine or about the issues covered by emailing: lorna.maybery@ nfu.org.uk

CHAIRMAN’S VOICE

I

t is remarkable how much things have changed in the past few months. Never would we have anticipated that we’d be facing a global pandemic that has had such a dramatic impact on the way we work, interact, and run our businesses. I am writing this as lockdown easing measures are starting to be introduced, but it’s already clear that the impacts of Covid-19 will stretch beyond 2020.

No sector of horticulture will come out of this unscathed. Even those commodities which have seen a sharp increase in demand through the retail sector will still be facing significant challenges and costs from managing recruitment, securing enough workers, social distancing within their workforce and the concerns about whether their total crop will be picked. The Pick For Britain campaign was launched in April to help match up UK workers with recruiters and while EU recruitment continues, especially for vital returnee workers, I’d encourage anyone concerned about filling vacancies to register their details through the website: pickforbritain.org.uk.

For many, the biggest challenge has been coping with the loss of their market. Of particular note has been the near total shutdown of the ornamentals sector as garden centres were closed right at the start of the peak sales period. Thanks to sustained NFU lobbying, and by collaborating right across the ornamentals sector, garden centres were able to open on 13 May in England and Wales, which was a welcome relief. However, they’re still not open in Scotland and much of the damage is already done, with significant volumes of plants having had to be dumped.

The potatoes sector has suffered too, from the closures and restrictions of food service restaurants such as chip shops and McDonald’s. Again, many of these are now slowly opening, but at a much reduced capacity and not enough to clear the backlog of potatoes.

Further losses are expected.

On the horizon is the impacts for hops and cider apples, with beer and cider sales hit by the closure of pubs and restaurants, again as the peak sales period begins. We are gathering evidence on the potential impacts to share with government.

This has possibly been the most challenging period for our sector in decades. With the rest of the economy also hit, getting specific support for our individual sectors is incredibly challenging, but we continue to work night and day to ensure the impacts are minimised as far as possible, so that we can all come out of the other side bruised, but ready to fight another day.

Ali Capper Chairman, Horticulture and Potatoes Board Summer 2020

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Contents

09

More than 2,000 people have downloaded the NFU’s dedicated mobile app – and with a wealth of fast-changing coronavirus news being added daily, there’s never been a more important time to join them.

The App lets members customise content by farming sector and access downloaded content without an internet connection.

It gives the option of being notified when important news and information is added – and it's free for NFU members.

Visit your usual app provider.

06

NEWS AND POLICY UPDATES

16

A round-up of what the NFU is doing for you – including a coronavirus update

09

WHO PICKS FOR BRITAIN?

27

TOMATO SPOTLIGHT

31

FROM THE FORUM

32

MEET THE GROWERS' ASSOCIATION

Why policy change is needed to safeguard our access to workers

14

16

22

Roly Holt on the Great British Tomato Fortnight

SURVIVAL FIRST

Garden centres reopen – but the Covid-19 impacts have made grant support in ornamentals crucial

RED TRACTOR GOES DIGITAL

Online audits and what they mean for you

24

COVID-19 AND BUSINESS

Horticulture looks at what help is out there

WAITING FOR AN ALL CLEAR

With potatoes still in storage, how will growers handle CIPC deep cleans?

NFU Potato Forum chairman Alex Godfrey scans an extraordinary landscape

An in-depth look at what the West Sussex Growers’ Association is doing for its members

37

42

BOARD SUPPORT

How the AHDB has responded to coronavirus

I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT...

Mountaineering grower Andrew Burgess picks his items Summer 2020

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Working for you

What’s been happening...

POLICY UPDATE: Inside our policy work

LABOUR

The NFU is highlighting to government the pressing need for a seasonal workers’ scheme for 2021.

There has been no commitment so far to continue or expand the pilot arrangements, which have been disrupted this season by Covid-19.

In May, weeks of work by the NFU and the wider industry returned dividends when Defra and the AHDB launched the Pick for Britain website, to encourage domestic workers to take on horticultural jobs this season. The NFU also played a significant role in the confirmation that furloughed workers would be able to take up other jobs, such as picking, and is seeking clarity on the impact of plans to quarantine people coming into the UK.

HOPS AND APPLES

The NFU is in talks with Defra about lockdown impacts on the cider and beer trade, and the implications for cider apple and hops growers.

Evidence has been shared with government and will be updated as Covid-19 measures are eased in the coming weeks.

6

AG BILL

Powerful campaigning from the NFU and its members led to more than 2,000 messages being sent to MPs in the handful of days between parliamentary business resuming and the Report Stage of the Agriculture Bill.

All reiterated the need for crucial amendments to the legislation.

The NFU wants a Bill that focuses on domestic food production, safeguards British farm standards and creates more resilient farming and growing businesses.

During a six-day window after parliament returned, the NFU also briefed the national press and rallied a diverse coaltion of groups to write to all 650 MPs. It will continue to press for changes.

POTATOES

The NFU has compiled a substantial Covid-19 impact assessment after the closure of out-of-home outlets caused one of the biggest shake-ups in the potatoes sector in memory. It is pressing for specific financial support.

The dossier is just one part of work, including discussions with the National Federation of Fish Friers to support the safe reopening of chip shops. The NFU has also liaised with the AHDB to connect growers with excess stock to buyers. It continues to work for growers who need to clean still-full stores of CIPC residues.

ORNAMENTALS

In a major NFU campaigning win, it was announced that garden centres would be allowed to reopen as part of the first phase of the lockdown relaxation (see response opposite).

The news followed weeks of joined-up NFU and HTA lobbying, at the highest levels of government, to ensure the devastating impacts of Covid-19 in the ornamentals sector were understood.

More than 200 MPs were also contacted directly by growers and members of the public who used an NFUonline tool.

Early in the crisis, the NFU had secured a pragmatic approach to plant passporting that made it easier for growers to trade online.

Written public assurances to back the sector have been won from the retailers (read more on NFUonline), and work continues to secure government grant finance for businesses that have had to dispose of stock – and better access to existing support packages.

Meetings with the industry, MPs, Peers, Defra and the Treasury were in train as Horticulture went to press, while the Brussels team was examining a support scheme for scrapped stock recently put into place in Holland.

READ MORE...

Labour from p9 Ornamentals from p16 Potatoes from p27

Summer 2020

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News updates

ROYAL BACKING AS PICK FOR BRITAIN LAUNCHED

A LIFELINE, NOT A SILVER BULLET

T

he decision to allow garden centres to reopen as part of the first phase of the lockdown relaxation will provide a “lifeline” for growers, the NFU has said.

But it has made clear to government that it is not a silver bullet for plant businesses devastated by the near-complete loss of their market at their busiest time of year.

Responding to changes to Covid-19 rules announced on 11 May, NFU President Minette Batters called for grant support for businesses that have had to dispose of stock.

And she said the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) must be improved, with an extension of the repayment period from six to 10 years and the removal of State Aid restrictions.

The Horticultural Trades Association estimates that nearly a third of ornamentals businesses are currently ‘at risk’ due to the impacts of the lockdown restrictions. It puts the support needed in the sector at £250 million.

Get the latest on this work at: NFUonline.com/horticulture/

FUNGICIDE DEADLINE Growers are reminded that it will soon be illegal to hold stocks of the seed potato fungicide pencycuron, found in UK products Monceren DS and Solaren. Authorisation for its storage and disposal ends on 25 June.

The Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) took the decision to prohibit the sale, supply and use of pencycuron products in March. That came after an EU Standing Committee cut maximum residue levels to ‘detectable’ quantities, following a review by the European Food Safety Authority.

While recognising that the products are applied to seed potatoes, the CRD had concerns about stocks intended for seed going into ware. A lack of data meant it could not complete a consumer risk assessment on the potential for residues in second-generation tubers.

The NFU understands that a product recall is being arranged for Monceren DS. Farmers are reminded to dispose of any stocks safely.

Growers are being encouraged to register vacancies on the Pick for Britain website to tap into millions of resident workers displaced during the Covid-19 crisis.

Endorsement of the scheme has come from high places, with HRH Prince Charles part of a major publicity drive.

In a video message, the Prince of Wales said it will be a “hard graft” for many people who are used to office jobs.

But he says signing up is “of the utmost importance” to the national effort to beat the coronavirus pandemic.

He called for “pickers who are stickers”.

Farming minister George Eustice urged the public to “pitch in this year, help to feed the nation in these tough times and do an invaluable service to their country”.

Register your labour needs at: pickforbritain.org.uk/are-you-an-employer

XYLELLA CRACKDOWN The UK introduced new national Xylella fastidiosa control measures on 21 April, banning imports of Coffea and Polygala and further stiffening requirements for hosts including olives, almonds, oleander, lavender and rosemary.

“XYLELLA IS A MAJOR THREAT TO OUR LANDSCAPE AND INDUSTRY. IN THIS YEAR OF INTERNATIONAL PLANT HEALTH IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE DO ALL WE CAN TO ENSURE THE UK REMAINS A XYLELLA-FREE ZONE.” Nicola Spence UK Chief Plant Health Officer

The measures were welcomed by the BRIGIT consortium of universities and research institutes, which is modelling how Xylella might spread in the UK environment. Meanwhile, Defra said it had considered pushing back the new regime because of coronavirus disrupton, but viewed the protections as essential.

The insect-bourne bacterial disease wiped out millions of ancient olive groves in Italy, and has spread to France, Spain and Portugal. More than 500 plant species are thought to be potential hosts.

Summer 2020

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Labour

Who picks for Britain?

Schemes to recruit UK nationals this year, to help offset some of the labour challenges posed by Covid-19, are unlikely to address inherent policy failings that threaten growers’ continued access to both permanent and seasonal workers

B

Words: Spence Gunn ritain’s exit from the EU was always going to make the recruitment of seasonal labour more difficult and costlier than usual this year.

Then, when Covid-19 hit Europe in early March, movement restrictions and transport shutdowns threatened to cut off at a stroke growers’ access to the majority of the 70,000 workers the horticulture industry had planned to be in place from April to October to plant, maintain, harvest and pack its crops.

With colleges and universities closed, and a furlough scheme

introduced to support the wages of those temporarily laid-off by companies that could no longer trade, one immediate response from labour providers, grower groups and some larger-scale producers was to set up various routes to recruit from this newly-available pool of British citizens.

Several of these initiatives have now been drawn together into a national Pick for Britain scheme organised by Defra with support from the NFU, the Association of Labour Providers, the British Growers Association and AHDB. UK worker recruitment will, undoubtedly, result in welcome extra pairs of hands, but it will come at considerable extra cost to growers and can’t replace the expertise and

efficiency of the regular returnees who usually make up more than half of most growers’ seasonal workforce.

It’s also becoming clear that, however quickly Covid-19 restrictions can be eased, recruitment will feel the impact next year, too – just when ‘freedom of movement’ is scheduled to end and the new points-based immigration policy is due to start.

“Many of the returnee migrant workers contracted in 2019 may not actually come for the 2020 season,” says NFU employment adviser Rachel Chambers. “So it will be more difficult to recruit returnees for next year. Most of the students and furloughed workers we have this year are expected to return to their studies or original jobs.”

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Labour

WHY THE POINTS-BASED IMMIGRATION SYSTEM DOESN’T ADD UP FOR GROWERS The NFU has made clear to MPs on the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee why the points-based system for permanent migrants, due to be introduced at the end of the year, doesn’t work for growers.

It wants to see: • Labour needs in the sector recognised by the Migration Advisory Committee’s shortage occupation list. No horticultural roles are currently listed • Benefits such as accommodation taken into account when assessing whether permanent roles meet the £25,600 minimum salary threshold. The latest available labour survey data shows pay for many horticultural jobs is typically below this level • Requirements for skills reviewed. The system as it stands has an inherent academic bias, ignoring the key vocational skills and qualifications relevant to horticulture – points should be available for those relevant to roles • The lack of an immigration route for ‘entry level’ jobs addressed, for example by exempting those in shortage from the skills threshold, or introducing visas linked to a requirement for employers to offer training and qualifications • The youth mobility scheme, designed to enable young people from abroad to gain work experience, extended • The English language proficiency requirement to be no higher than necessary for the job.

10

Despite the widely-publicised arrival of charter flights to fetch seasonal workers from the usual source countries – Romania, Bulgaria and elsewhere in Eastern Europe – in the run-up to the start of the main season, overall numbers were well below what would normally be expected at that time. Around 7,000 had made it here by the end of March, according to the NFU labour survey.

“We are finding we can still get people here,” said Siobhan Marsh, compliance manager at labour agency Pro-Force. “So far it’s been enough, but not as many as we would normally expect at this point.”

“The sector is highly reliant on returnees because of their high productivity,” says NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman Ali Capper.

Her family’s West Midlands tree fruit farm needs around 70 people to pick from the end of August. “We hope that at least some of our regular returnees, some of whom have been working for us for 15-20 years, will be able to come by then,” she says.

Soft fruit growers are particularly

“WE NORMALLY RELY ON AROUND 50% OF THE WORKFORCE BEING EXPERIENCED OR RETURNEES. IT TAKES TWO TO THREE WEEKS TO TRAIN A SEASONAL PICKER; THEY NEED A LOT OF SKILL TO JUDGE RIPENESS, AND TO GRADE APPROPRIATELY AS THEY PICK”

Anthony Snell NFU Horticulture Board member worried, with the main picking season starting this month. “In our own business, for example, we need 250 for picking, packing and husbandry work over the peak season,” says horticulture board member Anthony Snell.

“We have around 70 who were here before the Covid-19 emergency started, but had a large intake planned for the end of May onwards through to October, so we’re still concerned over whether they will be able to come.”

The decision by vegetable and salad

Summer 2020

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Labour grower G’s, which employs around 2,500 seasonal workers, to fly in workers from Eastern Europe attracted national media coverage. But the company was also among those that took an early decision to recruit within the UK, too.

Targeting students, and workers furloughed from the hospitality sector who already have food hygiene skills, over a three-week period to mid-April, it had signed up almost 500 in time to harvest the first of its UK salads crops.

HR director Beverly Dixon says the balance between experienced Europeans and new UK recruits would be crucial, as the more experienced workers would play a key role in helping train the new workers, not only to bring them up to speed, but also in critical areas such as safety around machinery.

The public’s response to the industry’s calls for help with this year’s harvest will have heartened many growers. Applications invited by the

newly-formed alliance of ethical labour providers – Concordia, HOPS and Fruitful Jobs – received some 36,000 expressions of interest up to the end of week 17 (April 24). But while the industry was looking to plan ahead and secure workers who could commit to the main season, from May to September, many of those contacting

COVID-19 HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR SEASONAL WORKER SCHEME ROLL-OUT The welcome news in February of an increase in numbers for the pilot seasonal agriculture workers scheme – from 2,500 to 10,000 – was quickly overshadowed the following month by Covid-19 travel restrictions and closure of overseas visa offices. The NFU says it’s concerned that the impact of Covid-19 must not prejudice longer-term evaluation of the pilot.

“What’s happening this year shows a seasonal workers scheme is more important than ever,” says NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman Ali Capper.

“We need government commitment now to roll out the scheme for next year for the 70,000 people we need. At the same time, the number of operators should be significantly increased and include those farm businesses wishing to recruit directly themselves. It also needs to bring in the ornamentals and other sectors not currently covered.”

The roll-out must be confirmed now in time for recruitment for 2021 to begin this autumn, she said.

“It will take six months from when an announcement is made to having enough operators in place,” she added.

“WE NEED GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT NOW TO ROLL OUT THE SCHEME FOR NEXT YEAR FOR THE 70,000 PEOPLE WE NEED”

growers or labour agencies during March and April expected to start straight away and be available just for a short period.

Concordia chief executive Stephanie Maurel says of the 36,000 enquiries, 6,000 had completed ‘DIY’ video interviews, 900 had been offered roles and only 112 had accepted work such as asparagus harvesting.

Mr Snell had also received plenty of interest from potential workers.

“The challenge is that mostly they’re asking about being able to work a couple of days a week, or for three weeks or a month,” he said.

“We normally rely on around 50% of the workforce being experienced or returnees. It takes two to three weeks to train a seasonal picker; they need a lot of skill to judge ripeness, and to grade appropriately as they pick.

“However, we’ve had a lot of local people applying for work and I’m hoping there will be enough who can give the level of commitment [we need] so we can train them and group them together for work.”

Government guidance on managing Covid-19 health and safety for farmers and growers, published following consultation with the NFU and other industry bodies, includes advice on keeping workers in ‘cohorts’.

The speed with which UK workers can pick up the skills, and their willingness to stay the course, will be crucial in other sectors too, such as salads.

“It’s an issue because of the way Summer 2020

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Labour

“WE COULDN’T RELY TOTALLY ON FURLOUGHED PEOPLE WHO MAY ONLY BE ABLE TO COME FOR A FEW WEEKS BEFORE GOING BACK TO WORK”

Ali Capper NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman crops are scheduled,” says British Leafy Salads Association spokesman Dieter Lloyd. “The harvest window for lettuce is tight: if you haven’t finished one field before the next is ready, it will have to be abandoned.”

National press coverage of the Pick for Britain scheme, and even comments from government ministers, have emphasised the connection with furloughed workers, but there’s a risk many will return to their day jobs just when harvest is in full swing.

“It’s important to also look at students and those who have actually lost their jobs,” says Mrs Capper.

“We couldn’t rely totally on furloughed people who may only be able to come for a few weeks before going back to work.”

Nick Ottewell, production and commercial director at Kent Salads

grower Laurence J Betts, says 70% of the 110 workers he needs over the peak season would normally be experienced returnees. He encouraged many of those on his list to travel before restrictions began to bite – paying their fares and accommodation before work started – but he’s still looking to hire around 20 locals, he told Radio 4’s Farming Today.

“Pick for Britain can’t solve all the problems, but it will help,” he said.

“And I am excited about getting British people back onto farms. But they must come for the whole season; we can’t afford to keep training new people every two to three weeks.”

Ultimately, the scheme’s impact could depend on what happens to the UK unemployment rate, says Mrs Capper. “We know from past experience that even if it goes as high as around 10%, it makes little difference to our ability to recruit. We have to be realistic.”

The NFU is keeping track of how much the additional recruitment and training, the impact on efficiency of social distancing work arrangements, and the cost of additional hygiene and coronavirus-related health and safety measures, is adding up for growers.

“We’d already seen labour costs rise in line with the 6% increase in the national living wage,” points out Mr

Snell. “The extra costs associated with our Covid measures and lessexperienced workers are likely to add another 4%. Unfortunately, retailers at the moment don’t seem willing to respond.”

The Covid-19 emergency has heightened the labour recruitment issues that have dogged growers over recent years, the NFU told the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee of MPs, currently holding an inquiry into food-chain labour supply post-Brexit. It highlighted several key changes it believes should be made to the new points-based immigration system to mitigate its impact on horticulture (see panel on page 10).

“Ending free movement and introducing the new immigration system at the end of 2020 was always going to be a tight timescale for the industry,” says Rachel Chambers.

“The system will be largely unworkable for many growers. We’re now calling for the timing to be extended, not least because of the issues caused by Covid-19.

“Businesses will need time to focus on rebuilding, and policy makers to evaluate what a post-Covid 19 economy needs from its future immigration system.” 2

Returnee workers from Bulgaria and Romania were scheduled to arrive before ‘lockdown’ to work on crops such as asparagus

Summer 2020

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Interview

Celebrating the great British tomato We talk to tomato grower Roly Holt about the challenges facing

growers and the revised plans for Great British Tomato Fortnight Words: Lorna Maybery Photos: John Cottle

A

s great British Tomato Fortnight gets under way, growers are engaging with the public in different ways to get across their ‘buy British’ message. With open days and visits cancelled due to Covid-19, much of the promotions will be instore and online, but growers such as Roly Holt, whose family business R & L Holt grows tomatoes across four sites in the Vale of Evesham, are keen to make sure that the ‘British is best’ message gets out there.

“IMPORTED TOMATOES ARE PICKED THREE OR FOUR DAYS BEFORE THEY GET TO STORES AND ARE OFTEN PICKED UNDER-RIPE TO ALLOW FOR THE TRANSPORTATION” “The emphasis is on suppliers and retailers to promote British, so a lot of multiples will be doing things in stores, including tastings and displays, to promote British produce,” says Roly.

“Unfortunately, due to lockdown, there won’t be the open days we have had in the past; instead there will be a lot of social media to spread the word.

There will be recipes going out to different supermarkets and leaflets about what you can do with tomatoes, apart from eating them fresh.

“British tomatoes are picked fresh and they can be on shelves the next day. Imported tomatoes are picked 14

Roly Holt checks the ripeness of his tomatoes three or four days before they get to stores and are often picked under-ripe to allow for the transportation. You can’t compare a freshly-picked tomato off the vine, which is kept at room temperature and is straight into stores the next day, with those that are imported in chilled transport for three days. It can completely change the taste and appearance of the fruit.”

Roly says it’s important growers work together to ensure consumers buy British tomatoes.

“We are quite a small industry. We all know each other and work together, along with the Tomato Growers’ Association, to improve our industry and promote British tomatoes.”

Working together is even more important at the moment, with Covid-19 affecting businesses on all levels. Making sure there are enough pickers to keep up supplies is a challenge for all growers.

“When there were rumours of a

lockdown and potential travel issues, we managed to get most of our staff here in early March for the rest of the season,” says Roly.

“We bought staff in early and managed to keep them occupied, so we have been very lucky and have been okay for the past eight weeks. It’s been busy, because of the good weather conditions, but it has been business as usual for us, whereas I know other people in different horticulture sectors have had a mixed time of it.”

Roly says they have supplemented overseas workers with some local people. “We had a few who are normally cleaners who couldn’t work, so they are now picking on one of our sites and are enjoying it.

“Social distancing is another problem we have had to overcome. We don’t do any packing on site, it’s just crop work, trimming, picking or de-leafing. Pickers have their own areas, whether it’s a set number of

Summer 2020

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Interview

FACTFILE R & L Holt is a family business that was formed in 1979 by Rick and Laura Holt and now includes their son and daughter Roly and Felicity.

Crops are grown hydroponically using a nutrient film technique (NFT). Originally, crops were grown on the ground with a profiled slope, but in 2004 they designed the ‘NFT hanging gutter’, which offers a better climate for the plants and an easier working height. All the crops are now grown that way and they have developed the system in the past 10 years to maximise its growing potential.

“It’s a system that a few growers in the Vale of Evesham started using in the 1970s,” says Roly.

“At that point the Dutch moved over to substrate from soil, and pretty much every grower around the world is now using substrate to grow tomatoes, but my father stuck with it and developed it further and we now have four sites with NFT growing tomatoes.”

Energy is an area that is constantly under review to make the business more efficient and sustainable. R&L Holt currently uses combined heat and power and biogas from an anaerobic digester.

All its sites have thermal screens, both on the top and side and, for winter crops, LED inter-lighting has been introduced, which is more efficient and also gives the optimum light spectrum.

“It allows us to grow all year round,” says Roly. “Normally, we would plant young plants in January and start cropping in mid-to-late March. But with the lighting, we are producing throughout the winter months.

“We will plant a crop in September and start lighting it as light levels dip, in mid-to-late October, until about March.”

• randlholt.co.uk

rows or bays, so fortunately it has been quite straightforward for us. The accommodation we have comprises small bungalows and log cabins, which has meant we have been able to separate staff there, too.”

When panic buying took hold of the nation a few weeks ago, Roly saw a drop in sales as both supermarkets and consumers concentrated on essential purchases. However, this has now settled down, and sales have picked up with the warm and sunny weather.

“Tomatoes weren’t a priority,” says

Roly. “There were huge logistical issues for all of the supermarkets, but in the past six or seven weeks sales are more consistent and people are eating more salads and having barbecues, which has helped the sector.” 2

FURTHER INFORMATION

The Great British Tomato Fortnight runs from 25 May to 7 June. The event is run by the British Tomato Growers’ Association, which has 20 members throughout the UK. • britishtomatoes.co.uk Summer 2020

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Ornamentals

FIRST SURVIVAL, THEN RECOVERY Grant aid remains crucial for ornamental businesses left

uniquely vulnerable by Covid-19 trade restrictions, even if reopening garden centres relieved some financial pressure

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Ornamentals

O

Words: Spence Gunn ne day your market is ready and waiting; the next it has evaporated, and with it 70 to 80% of your annual income.

That’s what it was like for most growers of ornamentals on the evening of 23 March, when the prime minister announced the ‘lockdown’ restrictions to try and stop the Covid-19 pandemic in its tracks.

It couldn’t have struck at a worse time for those whose crop production is carefully programmed for the peak sales period from March through to the end of May, including the key Easter weekend.

‘Non-essential retail’ businesses such as garden centres had to shut straight away, while DIY store chains closed as they adjusted to social distancing policies. Supermarket demand collapsed

“FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THE MAJORITY OF THE SEASON, FINANCIAL SUPPORT WILL BE VITAL TO ENSURE WE HAVE A STRONG ORNAMENTALS SECTOR FOR THE FUTURE” Ali Capper NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman

as supply chains struggled to keep up with unprecedented volatility in food products. And while the greatest business impacts have been on growers specialising in the retail sector, those servicing the landscape and amenity industries were hit hard, too, as projects ground to a halt.

So the announcement, on 11 May, that garden centres in England and Wales would be among the first non-essential retail sectors to be allowed to resume trading – after weeks of campaigning by the NFU, Horticulture Trades Association (HTA) and others – came as a huge relief, offering many growers the prospect of salvaging at least something from the season. The

construction industry was also encouraged to get back to work, bringing the chance of some resumption in the landscape sector.

But the NFU warned that without the specific financial aid the industry has also been calling for, many remain highly vulnerable.

“For those who have lost the majority of the season, financial support will be vital to ensure we have a strong ornamentals sector for the future,” says NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman Ali Capper.

It took months of investment to produce stock that, this spring, suddenly had nowhere to go. The total value of the 2020 crop, including flowers and bulbs, pot plants and hardy nursery stock has been estimated at £1.4 billion.

The NFU has been working with the HTA and the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable to secure government grants for businesses that have had to dispose of stock – the HTA says £250m

worth of finance is needed – and full access to the government’s wider business support mechanisms.

Without the whole package, up to one in three nurseries that were previously in good financial shape won’t make it and many more will feel serious long-term impacts, the NFU warns.

“The government’s general business support package is adequate if, for example, you’re a factory making widgets that can be mothballed and restarted when it’s all over,” says nursery stock grower and NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board member Tim Edwards.

“It does not work for ornamentals, where, in most cases, the biggest item by far on the balance sheet is the value of the very perishable stock. That makes growers uniquely vulnerable.

“In the case of spring bedding, in particular, stock was lined up ready to go from just about when lockdown started. Although some nursery stock can be held over, especially in the

THE LIFELINE OF DIRECT SELLING Graeme Edwards, production director at Woodlark Nurseries, Hersham, Surrey, set up a new ‘retail’ website over a weekend in April to accept home delivery orders within a 10-to-15-mile radius.

The 10-acre nursery, with two acres of glass and five of polytunnels, produces a wide range of pot and bedding plants, herbaceous perennials, and planted containers and baskets, to wholesale and to garden centres.

“We were already working with exisiting customers to help their home delivery or ‘click and collect’ operations,” he told a British Protected Ornamentals Association podcast. “And we’d thought about an online retail operation of our own when we started to see this coming.

“We used the Shopify platform that allows you to create your website from templates which was more straightforward than I expected – I was able to set it up over the weekend.

“We are taking orders for home delivery, using our own transport rather than have people come to the nursery. It’s working, and busier than we expected, but it does have its own issues as we’re really geared to marketing in larger volumes to businesses.

“For home delivery, we’re offering a simplified range and only full trays, or basic ‘planting kits’. It’s small volumes compared with what we would normally be moving through the trade, but still bringing us up to maybe 20% of what we would usually have done through garden centres.”

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Ornamentals landscape or amenity sectors, for the retail market you’re scheduling for what’s looking good in a particular week. The week after, customers will want something else so there was just as much potential for waste.”

A number of influential MPs backed the campaign, after the NFU explained the issues to them via remote conferencing in April. Within days, 13 MPs had signed an open letter to Defra minister George Eustice, written by Sir John Hayes, MP for South Holland and the Deepings, and a series of parliamentary questions were asked.

“We’ve been gathering evidence from growers about the impacts and putting our case in regular meetings with Defra officials and ministers, too,”

THE TROUBLE WITH CBILS AND FURLOUGHS Confusion around eligibility for the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) has left many growers of ornamentals unable to benefit, says the NFU. “We have secured confirmation that the ornamentals sector would be eligible for CBILS under the same rules as agriculture,” says horticulture adviser Emily Roads.

“But the six-year payback period, and the loan value cap under state aid rules, mean that, in many cases, the loans are either unsuitable or unviable for many of these businesses.”

The NFU is seeking an extended repayment period of at least 10 years, specifically for the sector and for state aid restrictions to be removed. It has also raised the idea of a flexible or part-time furlough scheme with Defra, to support businesses who need to bring staff back to work, and staff whose hours have perhaps been reduced, but are still needed.

18

Garden centres are open, but growers will need support to survive says NFU horticulture adviser for ornamentals, Emily Roads. “And we’ve had huge support from the national media and the public.”

Martin Emmett, director of West Sussex nursery group Farplants and co-opted member of the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board, presented the case to MPs. “It’s becoming clear the industry needs help

“THE WHOLE SECTOR NEEDS TO HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO BE READY AND IN A STRONG COMPETITIVE POSITION TO SUPPLY IN THE ‘POST-COVID’ ECONOMY” Martin Emmett Director of West Sussex nursery group Farplants

across three phases of its response to the crisis,” he says.

“We need help for growers’ immediate survival; ongoing support to enable struggling businesses to recover; and the whole sector needs to have the confidence to be ready and in a strong competitive position to supply in the ‘post-Covid’ economy.”

There had already been some pick-up in trade during the course of April as

online retail ramped up supply.

Supermarkets began to stock flowers and plants again as supply chains settled down and retailers like B&Q and Homebase reopened some sites.

Some garden centres and nurseries had also started to explore ‘distance selling’, helped by the NFU persuading Defra to take a supportive approach towards implementing new plant passport rules.

The NFU also wrote to major retailers. “With their food supply chains settling down, we urged them to return to stocking British flowers and plants and do all they could to support growers,” says Miss Roads.

The Co-op, a signatory to the NFU’s Flowers and Plants Pledge, was among the first to respond, asking the British Protected Ornamentals Association (BPOA) for contact with growers who could offer additional supplies of bedding plants. Elsewhere, Aldi took an extra 200,000 perennials from its supplier Lovania Nurseries; and M&S introduced bedding plants into shops.

“Even those with existing sales through supermarkets have seen volumes down,” points out BPOA secretary Simon Davenport. “Although some businesses found ways to mitigate their losses, including through direct sales from websites, by home

Summer 2020

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Ornamentals

“THERE IS EVIDENCE FROM PREVIOUS RECESSIONS THAT WE CAN EXPECT A STRONG DEMAND FOR PLANTS AND WE NEED TO BE IN A POSITION TO SUPPLY IT” Martin Emmett Director of West Sussex nursery group Farplants

delivery and so on, that was still only going to bring overall trade up to about 10% of where we’d normally be.”

Growers have been doing all they can to keep their businesses going, agrees Miss Roads. “But for many, probably most, it’s not been possible to easily switch to new online markets; it depends on the types of plants they grow and the market they are geared for. For many, the move means further investment, with volumes they can sell online negligible compared to normal.”

Even with the reopening of garden centres, how the rest of the season turns out is still difficult to predict, says Mr Emmett.

“We were looking at a worst-case scenario of only making 25% of our sales budgets this year. With garden centres reopening we might be closer to 50%, so it’s a big improvement. But the news came after we were past the

A GLOBAL CRISIS FOR ORNAMENTALS Copa and Cogeca, the European group of national farmers’ associations of which NFU is a member, is campaigning for an EU-backed rescue plan similar to that being sought in the UK. Its secretary general, Pekka Pesonen, says demand for ornamentals has dropped by 80% across Europe “triggering the inevitable destruction of production and stocks on a massive scale... bringing the whole sector to the brink of total collapse”.

Measures requested include compensation for at least 80% of disposal and production costs of unsold product; support to keep the single market in flowers and plants functioning; and a new promotional fund.

The EU says the 650m euro compensation package announced by the Dutch government for its horticulture and potatoes industry is within EU state aid rules. The EU has also announced a 10m-euro aid package for the Greek floriculture sector, while nursery businesses in the Italian Pistoia region have also been calling for support.

AIPH, the international horticultural producers association, has called on governments worldwide for support for the ornamentals sector, including grant funding to underpin staff costs; grant aid for the cost of written-off stock; and grants or loans to cover additional costs of managing stock for longer periods than normal. peak of the season, particularly for the bedding plant market, where growers have had even less opportunity to make up sales.

“A large proportion of businesses will still need to draw on government support packages to survive so improved access to the CBILS loans is

The value of the 2020 ornamentals crop has been estimated at £1.4 billion

important for long-term competitiveness.”

He said that, for many, it was a question of whether they had come through the first phase of ‘lockdown’ in a good enough position to start trading straight away. “We now need to be confident that we can be in profitable production for the rest of the year and into 2021,” he says. “The key question is whether and to what extent the season might be extended, perhaps helped by the likelihood that many people may be staying at home rather than going on holiday this summer.

“The ornamentals sector has done much over recent years to demonstrate the health and environmental benefits its products offer and that will be even more important as the UK emerges from this situation.

“There is evidence from previous recessions that we can expect a strong demand for plants and we need to be in a position to supply it, otherwise it will be met from imports – and, of course, growers in the Netherlands are among those who have already secured support and compensation from their own government.” 2 Summer 2020

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Assurance

Red Tractor goes digital Red Tractor has rolled out video-streaming checks for farm businesses that are due an inspection during the COVID-19 restrictions, and for those who join the scheme during the lockdown

R

ed Tractor has launched a new system of digital checks in light of Covid-19, after pausing physical visits in March to protect its 450 assessors and farmers.

Instead, scheme members will use their smartphones or tablets to give a guided tour of their businesses, and upload documents to a new, secure online portal.

Red Tractor said 40 trials had proved successful. It stress-tested the system with hundreds more, before rolling out the regime this month.

Farmers who do not have the correct technology, or who lose signal during a tour, will be expected to take videos and upload them afterwards.

Briefing journalists, Red Tractor CEO Jim Moseley said the new system would meet all assurance requirements, take roughly the same amount of time and help to avoid a “huge” backlog of inspections.

The organisation carries out more than 60,000 checks each year across the sectors and Mr Moseley said it had seen a near doubling of new applicants, as farm businesses looked to find new markets during the coronavirus disruption.

22

He admitted the arrangements would “take time to bed in”.

“We are committed to working with our members to make sure remote assessments are as straightforward as possible,” he said.

“There will be a degree of flexibility.

But once we are up and running fully, then this will be the regime.”

IS THIS A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE?

At the briefing, it was suggested that a successful run of remote inspections could herald changes at Red Tractor, even after the pandemic restrictions are lifted.

Head of operations Philippa Wiltshire said: “We have sectors that are very concerned about biosecurity and rather than a physical inspection, livestreaming could have a role to play as part of our wider toolbox.”

The NFU welcomed this innovative approach, but with surveying suggesting four in 10 members lacked the broadband they needed to run their businesses, it said flexibility and pragmatism would be crucial. 2 Read more at: assurance. redtractor.org.uk/covid-19-hub

HOW IT WORKS The scheme will contact farmers who are due an inspection. There will be no unannounced remote checks.

Farmers then have two options. They can complete a pre-assessment, during which relevant documentation is uploaded via Red Tractor’s new portal, followed by a video call using WhatsApp, Zoom or Blue Jeans for the visual element of inspections. Alternatively, the whole process, including document reviews, can be via a video call.

Those who have successful remote assessments will not be required to have an additional physical assessment outside of their normal audit cycle.

Summer 2020

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Finances

Covid-19 and business Horticulture runs through some of the main government-backed support measures THE JOB RETENTION SCHEME WHAT IS IT?

Employers can currently claim 80% of an employees’ usual wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated National Insurance contributions and the minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contributions on that wage.

The employee, in turn, is ‘furloughed’ and unable to do any work for the furloughing employer or any linked business. The scheme will run until the end of July, with different arrangements between August and October to allow workers to be bought back part time, with employers making a greater contribution to the support. Further details were expected at the end of May.

NFU CAMPAIGNING

In a significant win, it was confirmed that many furloughed employees can take up paid work for a new employer, potentially allowing them to fill labour gaps in agriculture and horticulture.

CORONAVIRUS BUSINESS INTERRUPTION LOAN SCHEME (CBILS) WHAT IS IT?

The CBILS went live on 23 March and will run for an initial six months.

Targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises with an annual turnover of no more than £45 million, it can provide up to £5m of loans and other kinds of finance (e.g. overdrafts) for those experiencing Covid-19-related disruptions to their cash flow.

Farming and growing is included, but with some restrictions due to State Aid rules. In April, measures were strengthened, new accredited providers were added and the government stopped lenders from requesting personal guarantees on loans up to £250,000.

The government will cover the first 12 months of interest and fees and guarantees 80% of the finance to the lender.

Terms are three or six years, depending on the finance type.

NFU CAMPAIGNING

The NFU was among those who liaised with the Treasury to help change the viability tests, so that all banks will need to assess now is whether a borrowing proposal was viable pre Covid-19.

This aspect of the original scheme had been a barrier to farm businesses, particularly as ‘future revenues’ in the sector are difficult to predict. The NFU is campaigning for longer, 10-year repayment periods and the removal of the State Aid cap.

24

THE CORONAVIRUS BOUNCE BACK LOAN WHAT IS IT?

The Bounce Back Loan Scheme helps small and medium-sized businesses borrow between £2,000 and £50,000. The government will guarantee 100% of the loan and there won’t be any fees or interest to pay for the first 12 months. Loan terms will be up to six years and the government has worked with lenders to agree a 2.5% rate of interest for the remaining period of the loan. If you’ve already received a loan of up to £50,000 under CBILS (see left) and would like to transfer it into the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, you can arrange this with your lender until 4 November 2020.

NFU CAMPAIGNING

The NFU engaged with the Treasury directly on improving scheme accessibility by speeding up the application process, improving viability tests and increasing the loan guarantee to 100%.

It is again working for a longer, 10-year repayment period.

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Finances

SELF-EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT SCHEME

WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED?

The NFU won several clarifications specific to farming and growing and continues to engage with HMRC on areas where members are experiencing difficulties accessing these grants. If that includes you, please email michael.parker@nfu.org.uk

The NFU continues to press for horticulturespecific support.

NFU horticulture adviser Emily Roads said: “While the government schemes have been very welcome, some growers have struggled to make full use of the measures available.

“For example, in the ornamentals sector, while many staff have been furloughed, some had to be retained to maintain stock and infrastructure, and, of course, the reopening of garden centres has seen nurseries bring staff back to work.

“A key issue has been the viability of the CBILS scheme for growers. Due to the short payback period of six years many growers will struggle to pay the loan back in time due to the tight margins in the industry, while the State Aid cap means that, for many, the loan will not go far enough.

“This is why we need to see the cap removed and an extension of the payback period to at least 10 years, as well as specific financial grant aid for growers who have had to dispose of stock.”

GRANT FUNDING

OTHER MEASURES

WHAT IS IT?

•

WHAT IS IT?

Direct financial support will be provided to selfemployed individuals affected by coronavirus, in the form of a non-repayable grant. While not a loan, the money will be subject to Income Tax and National Insurance contributions.

The grant is open to those with total self-employed earnings below £50,000 and where those earnings account for more than half of their total income.

The amount given will be 80% of monthly selfemployed profits, with a cap of £2,500 per month. It will be paid initially for three months, backdated to March 2020, in the form of a lump sum in June.

NFU CAMPAIGNING

‘Pure’ farming and growing activities are non-rateable and therefore fall outside the scope of the government’s £10,000 Small Business Grants, or its Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund, which can provide up to £25,000. Some farm diversifications could be eligible, though, if they are subject to business rates.

In May, a new discretionary fund was launched to accommodate certain small businesses with fixed, property-related costs that are not eligible for other funding and have seen a significant drop of income due to coronavirus. However, the requirements seem to exclude those who could claim the grants above, or the self-employment income support scheme (see above), making it unclear how many farming and growing concerns would be able to benefit. The new grant is also at local authorities’ discretion.

NFU CAMPAIGNING

As Horticulture went to press, the NFU was awaiting further guidance on how the new fund will work in practice.

•

• • •

• •

Limited companies can apply for a three-month extension on filing their annual accounts.

Income tax self-assessments for the self-employed have been deferred for six months. This means the second payment on account, previously due 31 July 2020, is now deferred until 31 January 2021.

VAT payments have been deferred by three months, until 30 June.

A 12-month business rates holiday has been introduced (i.e. the whole tax year 2020-2021), which could benefit some farm diversifications.

Small and medium businesses can reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for absence due to coronavirus.

The refund will cover up to two weeks SSP per eligible employee.

Employees who cannot take all their annual leave due to the pandemic will be able to carry up to four weeks over for two years.

No renter in either social or private accommodation will be forced out of their home during this difficult time.

The NFU continues to campaign for specific support. For full and updated details of the schemes outlined on these pages, visit our hub at NFUonline.com/business-support

Summer 2020

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Potatoes

WAITING FOR AN ALL CLEAR

With many growers left with

significant volumes of the 2019 crop still in storage, time could be running out to complete the thorough store cleans needed to eliminate CIPC residues

T

Words: Spence Gunn here’s added significance to the annual betweenseason clean of potato stores this year because of the withdrawal of the sprout suppressant CIPC. An even more thorough job than usual is needed, to minimise the risk of residues being left in the fabric of the store that could carry over and risk unauthorised levels in this year’s tubers. In some cases that could even mean replacing materials such as plywood linings that may have absorbed the gas, while some stores could need reconfiguring to adopt different storage technologies.

But the disruption Covid-19 has caused to supply chains is leaving many growers with substantial volumes of last year’s crop still in

stores long after they would normally have been emptied. That means time is running out for a thorough clean before the new crop is ready to come in – now a real worry, both for those who normally do the job themselves and those who use a contractor.

“There are growers with unsold stock, and there are growers who are being asked by their customers to keep stocks for longer, even as far as August,” says agronomist and NFU Potato Forum member Andy Alexander. “That leaves precious little time for the thorough clean that’s required, if you then have to start loading the store again in September.”

He says many growers still don’t realise how persistent CIPC residues can be within an empty store – with those holding processing crops likely to be most affected as that’s where the highest rates will have been used.

“THERE’S PRECIOUS LITTLE TIME FOR THE THE THOROUGH CLEAN THAT’S REQUIRED, IF YOU THEN HAVE TO START LOADING THE STORE AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER” Andy Alexander NFU Potato Forum member

“There will be stores that have been treated every season for the past 30 years,” he points out.

There’s concern, too, about how effectively a routine clean could be at removing CIPC, even assuming you do have the time available. He adds: “I’m aware of at least one instance where stores were cleaned after the 2018 crop was cleared. No CIPC was used in 2019 but they were still seeing residues at 0.5ppm in the 2019 stored crop. We Summer 2020

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Potatoes

WHEN THE CHIPPIES SHUT...

Lancashire grower and NFU Potato Forum member Robin Cropper specialises in varieties for chips.

“We were recovering from problems caused by last year’s wet conditions when Covid-19 came,” he says.

“The wet ground meant we’d been left with a lot of last year’s crop we couldn’t lift. We normally windrow about 40 acres for lifting in early spring, but this time we’d decided the wet conditions would likely lead to problems in bulk stores with those we were lifting, so we increased the windrowed area to around 100 acres.

“In mid-March we had 2,000 tonnes windrowed or in store when the chip shop and restaurant trade disappeared.

Personally, I felt AHDB was slow off the mark; I was on the phone most hours of the day trying to find new outlets.

“Because we don’t store using CIPC, the derogations there made no difference. We managed to shift 800 tonnes by the end of April, including to processing, some lower packaging grades, and farm-gate sales. We donated some to food banks, too.

“We may still not sell all that’s left, but it’s gone better than I dared hope.

We’ve had some very good friends in the trade being really helpful and I hope other growers have found the same.

“A lot of merchants will have been left with large stocks when the lockdown started. Much of that now seems to have cleared and they are buying again, though in much reduced volumes. I think this market will be among the first to recover; people will buy a takeaway before they can, or are prepared, to go to restaurants.”

28

The sprout suppressant CIPC had been in use since the 1960s don’t yet know what the temporary residue will be set at for the 2020 crop, but it’s likely to be less than that.”

LEVEL THINKING

Usually when a crop protection product approval is withdrawn, its maximum residue level (MRL) is then set at the lowest limit of detection.

However, the EU is expected to set a temporary MRL for CIPC in the 2020 crop to account for the fact that some residue may be left in stores, even after cleaning following best-practice guidelines, beyond the suppressant’s final use-by date in October. Though the UK has formally left the EU, our Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) is expected to follow suit.

The MRL for the crop that went into store in 2019 – the last that could be treated – is 10ppm. The temporary MRL for 2020 is still to be published.

“We’re hoping it will be somewhere between 0.4 and 0.5ppm,” says Adrian Cunnington, head of AHDB’s Sutton Bridge storage research unit.

“That means there’s going to be a lot of chemical residue to be removed.”

The use of hot fog and circulation fans will have left all surfaces in stores covered with CIPC-contaminated dust which may have solidified into a firmly-attached layer.

In some materials, such as concrete,

“WE’RE HOPING THE MAXIMUM RESIDUE LEVEL FOR 2020 WILL BE BETWEEN 0.4 AND 0.5PPM – THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF RESIDUE TO BE REMOVED” Adrian Cunnington AHDB Sutton Bridge

CIPC can even penetrate several centimetres below the surface.

Contamination ‘hotspots’ include the tunnel in bulk stores and around the application port and air-handling units in box stores.

“The point is you have to clean everything: walkways, light fittings, the lot,” says Mr Alexander. “You might not have the equipment to do it yourself, even if you do normally tackle your own routine clean.”

He says one compromise might be to do a normal between-season clean yourself if that’s your usual routine, then have a contractor with appropriate equipment tackle the deeper ‘CIPC clean’.

“We’re dealing with crop protection products here, so don’t forget the importance of protective clothing,” says Mr Alexander. “And if you are considering using a pressure washer, you will have contaminated water to

Summer 2020

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Potatoes dispose of; you can’t let it down the UK growers’ stores weekly during a drain. Will you be able to move it to typical March/April period. your sprayer washing area for Aiden Wright, of AHDB’s market disposal?” intelligence unit, estimates there was Much of the work will also be carried around 189,000 tonnes of chipping out at height or in confined spaces potatoes still in store by mid-March with attendant health and safety risks. when the market closed down. Total Storage boxes can be brought stocks were just under 1.2 million outside to aid evaporation tonnes, about 20% more than and breakdown of at the same time last year. residues, he suggests, “Some growers will AN ESTIMATED and stores can be have had tens of vented by leaving thousands of tonnes the doors open or in store,” says NFU TONNES OF by running fans Potato Forum chair CHIPPING with the louvres Alex Godfrey.

POTATOES WERE open. AHDB advises Mr Weaver says STILL IN STORE GOING INTO THE keeping records of that because the LOCKDOWN store cleaning to prove swathe of chip shop the steps taken. and fast food closures Some growers have asked was, essentially, a voluntary if there is scope for extending move as businesses tried to comply CIPC’s approval for a further season. with ‘social distancing’ measures, “There are several reasons why this many have since found ways to reopen. could lead to problems,” says NFU “The NFU has been in discussions horticulture and potatoes adviser with bodies such as the National Rupert Weaver. “But we and other Federation of Fish Friers to support industry bodies have made Defra and this,” he says. “Clearer information CRD aware of the difficulties of from government has helped them achieving store cleaning targets in the revise their guidance which, in turn, time available.” has helped their members find ways to reopen where safe to do so.

“By early May we were hearing CHIPPING IMPACTS estimates that up to 60% of chip shops It’s growers for the chip market who were open again. Although not are most likely to have the highest operating at full capacity, that’s taking tonnage still left in store. The sector at least some of the pressure off.” accounts for about 9% of the total Meanwhile, demand in supermarkets volume of potato sales, accounting for has remained strong after the wave of around 20,000 tonnes coming out of

189,000

Many growers will have substantial volumes still in stores

panic buying that saw sales of fresh and frozen potato products up 28%. This has offset some losses in the foodservice market.

To help switch stocks from oversupplied to under-supplied sectors, packers sought to be as flexible as possible, even to the extent of taking some material originally destined for processing. But their efforts were initially limited by the different CIPC application rules for chipping and processing potatoes.

CRD RULE CHANGE

In April, CRD changed the rules so that processing potatoes could be marketed as ware: any potatoes treated with CIPC at between 24 and 36g per tonne can now be sold through fresh supply chains, as long as crops were tested and known to comply with the MRL. Previously, stocks treated at levels above 24g had to go into processing.

There were, however, still challenges over the suitability of some chipping and processing varieties.

The upshot is that while assisting some individual growers, overall only very limited volumes of chipping stocks have found a different outlet.

“We still have material originally grown for chip shops and processing trying to find its way into retail pre-packs,” says Mr Godfrey.

“That, in turn, has affected prices in the pre-pack sector. Anyone with potatoes in store is finding an impact on their routes to market.”

Matching unsold stocks to customers looking to meet stronger demand will be helped by the new web portal, which the NFU has worked with AHDB Potatoes to set up. And the NFU is also looking at whether government financial support for unsold stocks is appropriate.

“It’s a conversation that needs to be had,” says Mr Godfrey.

“It may end up being the only way for some growers to get through this crisis.

“But no one wants to see stocks of good quality food dumped. We are still working extremely hard to find a market for everything, so for now the focus remains on the industry trying to help itself.” 2 Summer 2020

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Potatoes

POTATO FORUM Even solid, well-run businesses are finding it touch-and-go

Alex Godfrey Potato Forum Chairman

W

e are in the middle of the biggest and most abrupt shake-up in the potato market that any of us can remember. The impact of the closure of nearly every fish and chip shop and fast food chain in the country, almost overnight on 23 March, cannot be overstated.

The situation continues to develop so fast that by the time you read this it will have moved on from the point at which I write it, but I hope that the trend for out-of-home eateries to reopen, albeit cautiously, will continue.

Over the past two months I have spoken to many growers, as well as others in the industry, and I know how personal the impact is when the best part of a year’s income evaporates and a solid, well-run business becomes touch and go through no fault of your own.

The double whammy in our industry is that those who have invested most to be able to store the longest have been hardest hit. My heart goes out to everyone in that position. Our president Minette Batters said in one of her recent video blogs that the NFU will be there for you whatever comes: that is as true in potatoes as it is in every other part of the wider industry.

Our hugely impressive NFU staff have worked

incredibly hard since the start of the crisis and delivered some genuine ‘wins’ for growers.

I remain convinced that for the majority of our businesses to come through, we will need government support for crop that can’t be sold for human consumption because of supply chain disruption.

But that can only ever be a last resort. And to justify it, we have to show that we have done everything possible to help ourselves first, both as individual businesses and at an industry level.

That’s why we’ve devoted so much time to talking to the National Federation of Fish Friers and welcome the reopening of chip shops wherever they can safely; why we’ve been working with AHDB to create a portal for growers to find alternative outlets for their produce; why we continue to try to find solutions for growers who need to reconfigure or clean their still-full stores of CIPC residues over the summer; and why we’re working on many other fronts, too – including asking MPs and the government for grant support.

While that’s needed, it’s far from a sure thing we will get it, so don’t let up in your own efforts to find an outlet for the stocks you still have.

In all this turmoil, please don’t forget to look after your mental health, and that of those around you. With the strain we’re all under, anyone could be forgiven for the occasional wobble. If you are struggling, please ask for help.

There are plenty of places to turn to, so do use them – that’s why they’re there.

Stay safe, and stay well.

Summer 2020

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Meet the grower

John Hall, consultant to the Executive Group at West Sussex Growers’ Association, gives an insight into their work Words by: Lorna Maybery What is the West Sussex Growers’ Association (WSGA)?

We are a specialist association representing horticulture and we have been in existence for nearly 100 years. We started in Worthing in West Sussex, which is where one of the largest commercial glasshouse industries started.

Amongst other crops, branded Worthing tomatoes were sold in Covent Garden back in Edwardian times. Gradually, the industry has moved west towards the Chichester and Bognor Regis area along the Sussex Coastal Plain.

Who do you represent?

We have about 70 members, half of John Hall from the West Sussex whom are producers, and they range Growers’ Association from international companies, to national, family and one-man bands.

Together they generate more than £1 billion per annum Why are there so many from this small area glasshouse growers in WEST SUSSEX and employ over West Sussex?

GROWERS’ 10,000 people full The reason we are here ASSOCIATION HAS time. Glasshouse on the West Sussex ABOUT 70 MEMBERS. TOGETHER THEY growers make up Coastal Plain – the flat GENERATE MORE THAN the biggest piece of land between industry in the the South Downs and Chichester and the sea – is not just PER ANNUM Arun districts and are because it has fertile soil of vital importance to (most of our growers don’t the local economy. grow direct into the soil anymore). It’s because it has the highest winter light levels in the UK, which is why there are so many glasshouses here. Broadly speaking, one per cent of light equals one per cent more crop, so each one per cent you can gain gives you an advantage.

£1 BILLION

What sort of crops do your members grow?

Our members grow a wide range of crops, including tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, herbs, chillies, strawberries, LEFT AND MAIN IMAGE: There are 12 hectares under glass at WSGA member, Vitacress

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Meet the grower

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Meet the grower raspberries, sweetcorn and asparagus.

We also have some of the leading ornamental growers in the UK. What is your main role as an association?

We are affiliated to the NFU and we feed into NFU communication lines on anything and everything, from planning, labour and water issues to anything political, Covid-19, and Brexit. We communicate a lot wider, too and have direct links with MPs, Defra, universities, councils, wherever we think we can make a useful contribution, whether it’s lobbying or general communications.

How is Covid-19 affecting your ornamentals members?

The horticulture industry is predicting there could be up to 50% losses for our ornamental growers because our season is so advanced now. The shut-down could not have hit at a worst time. They have been growing plants for nine months, got them ready and then the door shut; so many of those plants are way past their sell-by date and are in the skip or compost heap.

It’s not disastrous; with garden centres just reopened there will be a

well. There was massive disruption massive surge because people are early on when panic buying messed up desperate to buy plants. It will save a the supply chain for two or three lot of businesses, but we mustn’t forget weeks, but things then settled down. there is about £250 million worth of There are issues around labour and loses for the ornamental sector. social separation in packhouses, for There is only a short season left now example. That’s tricky, but most have – the rest of May and first half of June. managed to find a way around it; they Usually by the middle of June it’s all have changed their shift times and over and done with, so it really will programmes, put up separation units depend on how well it goes during the with PVC sheets in between, for next four weeks. example, on grading and packing lines.

Some of our growers supply direct to They have created separation in supermarkets and although they have canteens and staff welfare been damaged, they have still areas, and have done a managed to move a fair THE INDUSTRY IS great job of keeping quantity through. But PREDICTING THERE workers safe. those who rely entirely COULD BE UP TO on garden centres, What are you doing especially if all they currently to help grow is bedding your members? plants, are the FOR OUR We have been in businesses we are ORNAMENTAL constant touch with all most concerned about.

GROWERS our members. We have an That sector has been hit Executive Group who have hardest. been talking to our growers daily about the issues. We are Have your edibles growers been as communicating with all our local MPs badly affected? and with Defra and George Eustice, Luckily, the majority of our members, directly with the Horticultural Trades about 80% in turnover value, grow Association, with Ali Capper and edible food crops, and fortunately they Minette Batters and many other have all come through this relatively people at the NFU. We have also been in contact with the CLA, RHS, the Bank of England and the Treasury. We campaigned to get garden centres open, banging that drum loud and hard and have had fantastic support from local MPs. Without everyone working together, we wouldn’t have got there.

We are also campaigning hard about the CBILS emergency loan scheme.

There have been problems with some of our businesses trying to access the scheme.

Also, in broad terms, we’ve been campaigning to get the scheme extended from six years to 10 years because the damage to the ornamental sector is so big that trying to pay loans back in six years is going to be impossible for a lot of growers.

Vitacress managing director and WSGA vice-chair Simon Conway 34

50% LOSSES

What else can you do for members at this tough time?

We have also been arguing for a

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Meet the grower FAR RIGHT: Annuals with no market have been thrown away BOTTOM RIGHT: The ornamentals sector has been badly affected by the Covid-19 lockdown

compensation scheme. Garden plants are perishable and although garden centres have reopened, it’s too late for many plants. It’s estimated that more than £250m-worth have ended up in the skip or the compost heap.

Things such as trees can be sold at a later date as well as some nursery stock like woody plants and shrubs, but with garden and bedding plants it’s too late for most of them, they have gone over.

We are campaigning hard for a compensation scheme for the ornamental sector, based not on retail value losses, but actual costed production losses.

How have members reacted to the crisis?

Members are rallying around and all singing from the same hymn sheet and have been grateful for the work we have been doing. The association all round has worked its socks off and we are proud of the industry in the way it has stood up and argued its case.

We have been having weekly Zoom conference calls with growers, just updating each other and passing as much of that relevant information up the line as possible. We have been lobbying and communicating continually and various members have been interviewed by the press.

Are your members getting involved with Defra’s Pick for Britain campaign?

Yes, businesses are looking to recruit locally to make up for the lack of Eastern European workers. So far, on the WSGA website, we have had more than 400 applicants for picking jobs from all walks of life. I put them either directly in touch with businesses or with local staff agencies. A lot of people are looking for temporary work so some are better directed to agencies who can handle temporary staff.

Are there major problems around labour this season?

At the moment, we are not picking up any problems as far as labour is concerned. But what everyone is talking about is what happens at the end of May and early June when numbers will need to ramp up quickly because then you have all the soft fruit businesses needing pickers.

We already have strawberries being harvested, but the volume really kicks in towards the end of May; this is the same for tomatoes and peppers.

Then you get to some of the outdoor crops such as sweetcorn and asparagus, courgettes and tender-stem broccoli – there is a massive requirement for labour here. Way back we all said there’s a shortfall of about 80,000 workers, so the question will be if we end up being that short, and as

people start going back to work again, will there be enough local people to fill that gap? At the moment we don’t really know. So, overall, the campaign is that we still need access to the European labour market.

We are expecting there will be quite a lot of people from the hospitality sector who will be looking for jobs throughout the summer, and students too. We think, theoretically, there should be enough, but let’s wait and see.

And what about Brexit?

It’s still very much on the horizon.

Every day we would normally have had some discussion about Brexit, but since Covid-19, it’s been on the back-burner – but we all know it’s still sitting there in the background.

Months are going by and there is still so much unanswered. 2 Summer 2020

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uidance on managing seasonal labour to avoid the risks of Covid-19, and a web portal linking potato growers to new customers, are among the ways levy body AHDB has been helping growers respond to the pandemic.

To assist those needing seasonal labour, AHDB is also hosting the Pick for Britain website. Developed in conjunction with Defra, the NFU, British Growers and the Association of Labour Providers (ALP), it’s the ‘official’ mechanism for recruiting UK-resident seasonal workers.

“We’ve also put guidance up on our website to help growers recruit and induct workers – and to motivate them to stay the distance,” says AHDB Horticulture senior marketing communications manager Jennifer Morgan.

This includes a webinar on aspects of operating in a reduced labour market, featuring NFU chief horticulture and potatoes adviser Lee Abbey and British Growers Association CEO Jack Ward, and tips on working efficiently with lower than usual numbers of staff.

Best practice guidance on managing seasonal labour to minimise Covid-19 risks is detailed in a new AHDB Horticulture factsheet. Drawn up in collaboration with Defra, the NFU, ALP, G’s and the Food Network for Ethical Trade, it explains how to monitor for, and deal with, the illness’s symptoms; how to integrate new workers; the use of ‘cohorts’ or separate teams to help with social distancing; accommodation and transport arrangements; and hygiene facilities.

It’s supported by a podcast interviewing Chris Dakin of Valley Produce, a field herb grower in Berkshire, and Velcourt Suffolk farm manager and potato grower Ben Martin, about how they have put the measures into practice.

For the ornamentals sector, AHDB Horticulture has hosted two podcasts interviewing growers about their experiences so far, including with operating distance selling.

AHDB Potatoes has put additional resources into potato marketing and

AHDB

How the AHDB is responding to the Covid-19 pandemic

brought forward activities that had been planned for later in the year. It includes TV advertising, social media and point-of-sale material in supermarkets reminding people of the versatility of potatoes and suggesting new ways to use them in recipes.

“We’ve also stepped up our market intelligence and consumer insight work,” says AHDB Potatoes senior marketing communications manager Jimmy Phillips.

“This includes more frequent reporting on estimates of stock levels in each market sector and tracking retail sales levels weekly.”

AHDB Potatoes’ new trade portal for merchants, wholesale buyers and growers was set up during May.

“It’s not meant to compete with established networks,” says Mr Phillips.

“But supply and demand patterns have changed so much, some are finding their usual suppliers have worked through some stocks now, so they need alternatives.

“Meanwhile, there will be many growers still with stocks who need to find new customers.”

With social distancing measures ruling out live events, AHDB Potatoes has replaced its usual summer diary with a webinar programme, starting in early June, to keep growers up to date with their research and knowledge exchange projects.

Growers can take part ‘live’ – including by putting questions during presentations – or watch later on ‘catch-up’ recordings on the website.

AHDB has also been working behind the scenes to supply the NFU and other organisations with industry data to help them raise awareness of the issues facing growers as a result of the Covid-19 emergency.

“That includes a new labour data collection exercise we’re running from now to October to monitor what’s happening with the workforce on farms and nurseries,” says Ms Morgan. 2 For more information, visit: ahdb.org.uk/coronavirus Summer 2020

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Three things...

* well at least in more usual times

NFU Horticulture Board member Andrew Burgess owns Produce World with his brothers, growing and packing LEAF-marque roots and potatoes for the major retailers and organic roots and potatoes under the RB Organic brand

Nature’s little helpers

As an organic grower, we need help from nature and we do all we can to create habitats to host beneficial predatory insects; ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies and wasps.

We are using the latest forecasting programmes and trapping to predict the arrival of pests and we now supplement our natural populations by releasing additional indigenous predators. After 10 years or more of growing at Houghton Estate in Norfolk we have developed a very healthy population of these little helpers.

There’s no resistance to being eaten!

42

My team

I actually don’t need to do much. We have a fantastic team; young, energetic, enthusiastic and extremely professional, both on the farm and in the factory, where we expect 100% quality and service to our customers.

This allows me to be involved in lots of industry stuff, both with the NFU and The Soil Association, as well as having time for my adventures, which incidentally, are the best thinking and reflective time you could ever imagine.

Adventure

I live for adventure, specifically mountains and ice. I’ve been into skiing and mountaineering since I left school, gradually getting more serious as time goes by and my skills and experience have grown.

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The skills and mental strength developed in this hobby are very useful in this tough industry. When in trouble, stay calm, assess the situation, decide which course to take and stick to it.

Summer 2020

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We do the paperwork

You go farming Getting you out of the office and back in the field.

Are you farm assured, but struggling to keep up with the paperwork at times?

Or maybe m you want to become assured, but aren’t sure which scheme best suits your business or how to apply?

Our experts can help.

We provide advice and support on all aspects of joining and staying a member of all the major schemes. We’ll even give you an easy-to-navigate file, with all the certification and accreditation documents in one place.

From membership renewals to inspections and from water sampling to nematicide use, we’ll deal with the red tape, saving you time and giving you peace of mind.

01981 590514 www.cxcs.co.uk | info@cxcs.co.uk

The P o

lythene People

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