HORTICULTURE SPRING 2021 by nfuhorticulture

Spring 2021

For horticulture and potato members of the NFU

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Welcome

CONTACTS 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

WELCOME

PRODUCTION Heather Crompton

s another growing season begins and we leave Brexit behind us, we have a lot ahead of us in 2021 and, arguably, as many challenges to deal with as we faced in 2020. The articles in this magazine have been designed to help growers navigate the key issues facing the sector. We start by looking at the various impacts of the Brexit deal for UK horticulture. Access to a reliable workforce is vital for the industry and we welcome the announcement by the government of an extension of the seasonal workers pilot from 10,000 to 30,000 permits, with an article that considers all of the issues facing recruiters this year (see page 12). We also take a look at the options for Covid-19 testing for staff, the Red Tractor standards consultation and the launch of the NFU’s integrated water management strategy. We hope you find the content of the magazine useful. Your feedback is important, so please if you have any comments on the articles or format of the magazine, let us know by emailing editor Lorna Maybery on lorna.maybery@nfu.org.uk. Here’s to a successful season for you all.

COMMERCIAL Repro: NFU and AT Graphics

Ali Capper Chairman, Horticulture and Potatoes Board

Allie Hesketh Horticulture adviser e: allie.hesketh@nfu.org.uk ADVERTISING Jasbinder Saikhon jasbinder.saikhon@nfu.org.uk t: 02476 858952

Print: Stephen & George Photography: John Cottle, istock, Getty

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

CONFERENCE GOES ONLINE NFU Conference will go virtual in 2021, with a programme of web-streamed appearances from industry leaders, experts and political heavyweights discussing the future of agriculture and horticulture. Speakers on 23 February include the Defra Secretary George Eustice, Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss, Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer, and Tim Smith, the chairman of the new Trade and Agriculture Commission. The stream is free for NFU members and invited guests – find out how to register at nfuonline.com/news/nfu-live-2021. Spring 2021

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Contents

More than 2,000 people have downloaded the NFU’s dedicated mobile app – and with a wealth of fast-changing coronavirus and Brexit 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.

NEWS AND POLICY

A round-up of what the NFU is doing for you, including an update on labour

THE COST OF FREE TRADE

The impacts of the EU trade deal on growers

19 22

30,000 AND COUNTING

Will the extended SAWS provide enough workers for UK growers?

19 29 30

COVID-19 UPDATE

Routine workplace testing now available

TIME FOR CHANGE

AHDB embarks on far-reaching reforms

33 34

STANDARDS SHAKE-UP

What Red Tractor review means for horticulture

WATER STRATEGY

NFU calls for a revolution in water management

POTATOES

What future for nematode control?

POTATO FORUM

Combating isolation

MEET THE GROWER ASSOCIATION

Lee Stiles of the Lea Valley Growers Association

AHDB BALLOT

Have your say on potato levy

LIVING WAGE

Calls for fairer returns

GUEST COLUMN

Tom Goss on the soon-to-belaunched APPG for fruit and veg

WHY I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT…

Ali Capper reveals her essential items

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Working for you

What’s been happening...

A snapshot of the NFU’s work for members and developments in the sector

Peat targets

The NFU is working with the industry to develop a ‘roadmap’ for reducing peat use in the sector, ahead of the launch of the England Peat Strategy, due in the spring. With pressures from NGOs to phase out peat as a commercial growing media, alongside the recent announcement from Bord na Mona, a key peat supplier, that they will cease extraction, the new taskforce aims to produce industry targets that are realistic, achievable and supported by research into peat alternatives and their supply chains.

Covid tests for grower businesses

Government-funded ‘lateral flow’ Covid-19 tests will be offered to all food production and processing businesses with more than 50 workers, including those in farming and growing, to test asymptomatic staff who cannot work from home. The development follows sustained calls from the NFU for an extension of workplace testing into the sector. The kits will be available free until at least the end of March.

Cost impacts highlighted

An independent report has highlighted that National Living Wage increases of 34% since 2016, alongside other long-term labour challenges and costs, have put the viability of some British fruit, veg and flower businesses at risk. The work was conducted by Andersons and funded by the NFU, British Apples and Pears, British Summer Fruits and the British Growers Association. It found shortfalls of between 9% and 19% in the profitability of some labourintensive crops.

Labour update

New PO timelines

The first Producer Organisation programmes are due to end later this year – and with the development of a new UK horticulture productivity scheme disrupted by Covid-19, the NFU is pushing for extensions until a new scheme is ready to roll out. It says government must avoid any ‘funding gap’. A letter to the Secretary of State also asks for at least one year’s notice between the development of a new scheme and its launch, to allow growers time to adapt.

The NFU chalked up a significant win with the extension of the seasonal workers pilot scheme to 30,000 visas, but work continues to ensure growers’ needs are met. The focus now shifts to achieving the high number of EU returnees with settled or pre-settled status and the UK workers that the sector will require to make up roughly half of its labour needs. Two additional scheme operators must also be in place in time for peak season, the NFU has said. It is liaising closely with government and continues to press for the pilot to be made a full scheme that fully addresses growers’ needs.

New-look board

The appointments process for the national NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board was under way as this magazine went to press. Applications for eight vacancies were sought with a deadline of 12 February. The new-look board is due to meet for the first time on 23 March.

READ MORE... Seasonal labour p12; Covid p14; costs p29

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News updates

VYDATE WITHDRAWN The NFU is calling for a delay to the disposal period for nematode-control product Vydate – and a rapid decision on pending Emergency Authorisations (EAs) to cover its use in 2021. A very short disposal date of 28 February was set when government decided not to reauthorise the product, in a move that also came just one week before its previous authorisation was due to expire, giving growers no time to prepare. The NFU has held urgent talks with Defra to discuss the decision and the practicalities, especially as a successful EA could see growers dispose of Vydate and then find they could have used it. NFU Vice-president Tom Bradshaw said there were “serious concerns” whether growers would be able to dispose of the product. He added: “Vydate is an incredibly important tool for growers of sugar beet, potatoes, onions, carrots and other field veg. It is an effective and affordable part of many growers’ integrated pest management plans and we are supporting the new EA applications submitted by the industry.” Read more from p30

STILL IN THE SLOW LANE...

Government and the telecommunications industry must end an “unacceptable” two-tier system that has left rural areas and farm businesses lagging on connectivity. That was the message from the NFU when it unveiled results from its annual broadband and mobile survey. It showed that only 40% of 400 members had the broadband speeds their businesses needed – and just 46% had an acceptable mobile signal. Almost a third were among the UK’s slowest in terms of broadband, with speeds of less than 2 megabits per second (Mbps). Full results at NFUonline.com/broadband

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT

Did you know that NFU members can take advantage of a special offer on annual gift memberships for NFU Countryside magazine and pay just £33, saving you more than 20%. So, if you want to treat your mum for Mother’s Day, just call our friendly Countryside Helpline on 0370 840 2030 and quote code GMM20. We’ll also send both you and the lucky gift recipient a free copy of our lovely recipe book. Offer valid until 10 March 2021.

SEED POTATO STAND-OFF CONTINUES The EU has rejected a UK application for ‘seed potato equivalence’ – in effect the recognition of like production standards – meaning that the ban on seed potato exports from the UK to the EU continues. The matter was discussed at a meeting of the EU’s Standing Committee on Plant, Animal, Food and Feed (SCOPAFF) at the end of January. The impasse will primarily impact Scottish growers, but could have wider implications if the UK responds by looking again at the temporary measures which currently allow seed potatoes to move from the EU into England until the end of June. “We may have to reconsider extending that,” said Defra Secretary of State George Eustice. The NFU is monitoring the situation. “It’s very disappointing that the UK’s application has been rejected,” a spokesman said. “We are concerned about the impacts this will have on the sector, particularly as growers are making planting plans now. We urge both sides to reach an agreement on this issue as soon as possible so trade can resume.”

VIEWS WANTED ON GENE TECH Growers have until 17 March to share views on how new genetic technologies should be regulated in the future. Defra has issued a consultation that could see the UK break with former rules under the EU by making a distinction between adding DNA from outside sources and editing existing genes using targeted, ‘molecular scissors’ techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas9. It says that allowing the latter could speed disease or climate-resistant plants and animals, increase the UK’s farm productivity and boost food security and sustainability. NFU Vice-president Tom Bradshaw said: “New precision breeding techniques such as gene editing have the potential to offer huge benefits to UK farming and the environment and are absolutely critical in helping us achieve our climate change net zero ambition. “Trust in the regulation of biotechnologies is essential to farmers, society and scientists, and we look forward to responding to this consultation in detail.” Read more and shape the NFU submission at NFUonline.com/gene-tech

Spring 2021

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Trade

The NFU has been working with growers and the government to help ease the impact of increased inspections, bureaucracy and costs for moving plants and produce under the terms of the new EU trade deal

Words by: Spence Gunn

t was always on the cards that UK-EU trade negotiations would go to the eleventh hour. The deal finally struck on Christmas Eve was far-reaching and complex, giving businesses little time to digest the implications before new rules came into force a week later. The New Year saw widespread media coverage highlighting delays at ferry ports, shortages of certain produce lines on supermarket shelves and hikes in supply chain costs. The sudden French decision to require lorry drivers returning to Europe to take a Covid-19 test only added to the logistics issues, while snowstorms that hit Spain in early January made their own contribution to UK produce shortages.

NUMBERS GAME

Many, including growers and their supply chain partners, had already planned to avoid the post-Brexit 8

disruption anticipated at the turn of the year, either by rescheduling some incoming orders and outgoing deliveries to before the end of December, or by using routes other than the Dover Straits. The haulage industry reported just 2,000 lorries a day using Dover in January, where normally there would be 10,000. The NFU has been working with members to understand the specific problems they’re facing, and with Defra and other departments to solve them. “The main challenges so far, both for growers and inspectors, have been acclimatising to the new requirements on plant health and navigating the official IT systems for the new phytosanitary notifications,” says NFU horticulture adviser Allie Hesketh. “There have been issues with how these systems have functioned, along with some reports of delays at borders, although we haven’t heard of these delays being widespread. There have also been issues with export

2,000 LORRIES A DAY USED DOVER IN JANUARY – DOWN FROM 10,000

requirements and regulations for some types of produce. “We’ve been working directly with Defra to highlight all of these problems as they arise, and will continue to do so to secure better guidance and support for members.”

NEW REQUIREMENTS

Phytosanitary certificates are now required for all imported ‘plants for planting’ including ornamentals, young plants and propagation material for fruit and vegetable production, and for seed and ware potatoes – and they’ll be needed for most other types of produce from 1 April.

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Trade

WHAT’S IN THE DEAL? The UK-EU trade deal agreed in December is the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The main elements affecting growers are:

TARIFFS AND QUOTAS

Free market access either way with no tariffs, fees, charges or quantitative restrictions (i.e. quotas) on trade in agricultural goods that meet Rules of Origin.

RULES OF ORIGIN

For most plants and produce to qualify for tariff-free trade they must originate (be grown and harvested) wholly or largely in the UK or EU. Plants or produce grown in the UK or EU from seed, cuttings or young plants imported from a ‘third country’ will generally meet the requirements. Some processed foods may contain ingredients from ‘third countries’ and, for these, certain tolerances are permitted.

PLANT HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY

The UK now can have its own autonomous phytosanitary regime. Access for EU plants and produce to the UK, and vice-versa, requires destination phytosanitary and food safety standards to be met. For example, UK produce exported to the EU has to meet EU MRLs. A number of committees are being set up to find ways to streamline procedures on these aspects of trade.

GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATORS

Importers need to be registered with the PEACH plant import IT system, but that is soon to be replaced by IPAFFS (Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System). It’s your end supplier’s responsibility to ensure their goods meet UK regulations – and some EU exporters, such as those in the Netherlands, have had guidance from their own governments. Growers in the UK have been able to register as a ‘place of destination’, where documentary, identity and physical inspections can be made on high-priority plants, including plants for planting, and plant products, instead of at border control points. Defra says this is an interim measure to help keep trade flowing but the NFU is pushing for it to be made permanent.

OPTIMISM...

Nursery stock grower and NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board member Tim Edwards is optimistic the initial problems growers are

The UK will operate its own geographical indicator scheme. Produce already recognised by the EU will continue to be protected by both schemes, but new applications will have to seek protection separately under each scheme if required – and the EU scheme will have to be used for protection in Northern Ireland.

ORGANICS

Recognition of equivalence of organic certification, which allows both the EU and UK to sell their goods as organic in each other’s markets, is expected to continue until the end of 2023. However, the introduction of new EU regulations next year means the EU could reassess equivalence sooner. The timing of a review would depend on how aligned the UK remains to the new EU rules.

A ‘LEVEL PLAYING FIELD’

Both the UK and EU can set their own regulations in areas such as environmental standards, labour and competition though there are commitments not to ‘regress’ below existing conditions. Each can also take measures such as imposing new tariffs or quotas if they believe the other side has moved so far from the original situation it gives a competitive advantage. experiencing with the new plant health regime can be overcome. “We didn’t really have time to test the new systems properly, but by the start of January, we were ready on my own nursery for the first consignments of

the new year,” he says. “There have been issues with using the IT systems, but we’ve had good communications with Defra and they are being solved. “Changing from plant passports to Spring 2021

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Trade phytosanitary certification has brought extra costs and means inspections in the country of origin, which adds to lead times on top of the potential for delays caused by inspections again here. I’m sure that, over time, it will get slicker but it’ll never be as frictionless as before. Our own inspectors do at least seem to be operating the new system with a pragmatic approach.”

... BUT WILL IT KEEP UP?

Brtish Protected Ornamentals Association chairman James Alcaraz has not found too many delays so far, but he’s concerned the inspection regime might not keep up once the season is in full swing. While the UK is phasing in the requirement for phytosanitary certification across different types of imported plants and produce, it has been necessary on all GB exports to the EU since the start of the year. The IT system used for export certification, notification and inspection booking, eDomero, is also being replaced – in this case by the new ‘Apply for a phytosanitary certificate service’. It’s not just your produce, either, that must meet certain health

standards. Wooden pallets or crates carrying import and export consignments now need to comply with ISPM15 requirements – including heat treatment to kill pests and pathogens. The EU has long banned import of certain plants and produce which it believes pose a high phytosanitary risk. In December it authorised exports from the UK for many of these products, including ware potatoes and young tomato plants. It has also indicated it will authorise UK-certified seed, but it’s still unclear when the legislative change for that will be made.

SEED POTATOES WRANGLE

Seed potatoes are the exception and remain excluded due to disagreements on regulatory alignment. English seed potato growers export around 4,000 to 5,000 tonnes in total, which is small compared to the Scottish seed potato trade which markets 20,000 tonnes to the EU alone. NFU Potato Forum member and seed grower Graham Nichols points out that UK production standards remain aligned with the EU and says the main worry for English seed

growers now is the potential for oversupply on the home market. There’s also the possibility that from June UK ware growers may no longer have access to varieties that can’t reliably be produced for seed here. NFU horticulture and potatoes adviser Rupert Weaver says discussions are under way about gaining ‘third country equivalence’ for UK seed potatoes, which would resolve the issue. However, the EU has rejected the UK’s latest application. Meanwhile, the NFU continues to monitor the impacts of the new trade and phytosanitary arrangements and is pressing the government to offer support to help businesses with the costs of adapting to the new systems. “We want to see all new inspections operating on a risk-based approach and designed to run as smoothly as possible to maintain trade,” adds Ms Hesketh. 2 Advice for importers and exporters is available on NFUonline and at the EU Exit Foodhub, a website supported by the NFU and food sector bodies.

PROTOCOL BARRIERS The special arrangements that now apply to trade with Northern Ireland, under the Northern Ireland Protocol, have added further complication and costs, even for growers who have not traditionally thought of themselves as exporters. It gives Northern Ireland continued access to the EU Single Market and Customs Union – preventing the introduction of a ‘hard’ border between it and the Republic of Ireland – while also remaining in the UK customs territory. That means growers sending plants or produce from Britain to NI are now essentially ‘exporting’ and must follow the same rules as they would if supplying the EU – the main one being the requirement for phytosanitary certification. It also means the same exclusions, notably on seed potatoes. This will make it difficult for many growers of ornamental plants to send ‘just in time’ and small consignments efficiently and cost-effectively. There is, however, a ‘grace period’ of three months which exempts supplies through certain authorised supermarket supply

chains from phytosanitary certification. A second significant barrier for the ornamentals sector is meeting the special requirements now in place for exporting plants grown in, or that have come into contact with, soil or growing media. As with exports to the EU, substrates used in modules and containers must be soil-free and plants grown in ways that prevent contact with soil at any point in the production cycle. The Mypex or similar sheeting many growers use to stand down pots and containers doesn’t count as enough of a barrier over soil. More information on growing media and growing systems requirements is available at planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/assets/uploads/ Growing-Media-Trade.pdf

Spring 2021

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Seasonal labour

The seasonal worker scheme has been significantly expanded but is still a ‘pilot’. Horticulture looks at how it is likely to contribute to recruitment this year

Words by: Spence Gunn

onths of evidencebased campaigning by the NFU finally won a much-needed increase in the number of seasonal agricultural workers’ visas, to 30,000, for the coming year. It’s clearly a welcome and significant step for fruit, vegetable and salads growers – and recognition of the industry’s unique labour requirements against the backdrop of the UK’s new immigration policy. That said, the number is only around half of the seasonal roles growers will be looking to fill, which means the industry will still have to rely on a high proportion of returnee EU workers with settled or pre-settled status, alongside increased efforts to attract UK residents. Defra says it plans to ‘build

on’ last year’s Pick for Britain campaign. Questions also remain over whether the two additional scheme operators to be appointed will be in place in time to source workers for the peak spring and early summer season. “We’d been pushing for confirmation all last summer and autumn on how the seasonal workers pilot scheme would be rolled out, so the increase in numbers is clearly a positive move,” says chief NFU horticulture and potatoes adviser Lee Abbey. “But we have to bear in mind that we really need the pilot, which started in 2019, to be expanded into a full scheme. “What has been announced, while clearly welcome, is an extension to the pilot and because of that there are still aspects that have to be addressed before we have something that really meets the industry’s needs – including the fact it still ignores ornamentals growers.” Growers will have to fill their

seasonal vacancies this year by ‘mixing and matching’ from three different main sources, because the increased allocation of seasonal workers scheme visas, together with the number of EU workers with settled or pre-settled status expected to return this year, falls short of the 70,000 total the industry estimates it needs. “Recruitment of UK residents will have to play a much more significant role this year and the NFU will do its part to support that,” Mr Abbey says. As in previous years, the seasonal workers pilot scheme allows for up to six months’ work in a range of closelydefined jobs on edible crops, including crop husbandry, harvesting and packing and maintenance. Now the UK has left the EU, the scheme will also be able to recruit EU citizens who don’t have settled or pre-settled status; as well as from outside the EU as before. The two labour agencies who have operated the scheme so far, Concordia and Pro-Force, will continue and two more will be appointed – though the NFU has long been calling for a full scheme open to many more operators, including large-scale growers who recruit direct. Defra’s current timetable suggests the two additional operators for this year will be ‘appointed’ in February but the NFU is concerned it could be June before they are formally licensed and their plans approved by the Home Office. It’s not yet clear whether the 30,000 permits will be split evenly between each scheme provider, or whether the current operators will be

Spring 2021

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Seasonal labour allocated a greater share because they can begin recruiting for the peak demand period straight away. Mr Abbey says the NFU continues to seek clarification over whether, or when, the extended scheme will be open to ornamentals. Defra Secretary of State George Eustice was recently quoted in a national newspaper saying it had been decided to add flowers to the scheme because of the importance of manual labour to the daffodil harvest, although it would require a legislative change. The 30,000 seasonal workers scheme visas may fall short of the industry’s total demand, but at least it’s a known quantity. The same can’t be said of the likely availability either of EU workers with settled/pre-settled status or of willing British workers. By the end of 2020, almost five million people had applied for the right to live and work in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme. But while growers had been encouraging both their permanent and seasonal workers to apply, and have been helping them with their applications, there’s no certainty about how many seasonal workers have made use of the scheme or how many who now have settled or pre-settled status will return to UK horticultural businesses this year. Defra minister Victoria Prentis told an Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee inquiry into food supply chain labour last year that an estimated 20,000 people working in the sector had secured settlement scheme status, while

EARLY INDICATIONS Growers of early-season crops such as asparagus are already getting a feel for how recruitment is going this year. Emma Hicks, human resources officer at Cobrey Farms, which grows asparagus over three sites in Herefordshire and East Anglia, is looking for 1,300 seasonal workers this year. “By late January we’d had 37% fewer applications than last year, and 20 of the 100 expected didn’t show, though we are catching up,” she says. “We made a big effort last year to help our returnees secure settled status and have had around 600, about the same as usual, applying to us this year. “We are again looking to recruit through the seasonal worker pilot, and so far the agencies seem confident – we had 27 nationalities here last year. “I’ve not heard that the need for pre-entry Covid testing is putting anyone off coming, but the cost of tests on top of travel, and being unable to work during the initial self-isolation here, may be playing a part, together with concerns over Covid generally and the fact that the UK has now left the EU. “We had mixed experiences with recruiting from within the UK last year. We took on more than 200 and it seems that if they stayed for two or three weeks, they stayed on and did the job well, but many had had jobs such as in hospitality, and we lost them at the end of the first lockdown. “I support recruiting UK residents and we wouldn’t have got the job done without them last year. The industry will need them again, but I’m not sure there will be as much interest from them this time.” Pro-Force said there was ‘a high level of nervousness from our clients and a low expectation that the EU settlement scheme [alone] will provide enough labour for the industry.’ Given the anticipated impact of Covid-19 on UK unemployment, it’s little surprise that the announcement of the extension of the seasonal workers pilot was accompanied by a commitment to actively promote the recruitment and retention of domestic seasonal workers. But most growers’ experience of sourcing more domestic seasonal workers last year was mixed, at best. Many had embraced the concept with enthusiasm but found issues with lack of commitment, a high turnover rate and low productivity. The EFRA inquiry heard the irregular nature of the work, rural locations and the possible need to live on the farm all contributed to poor uptake. However, the two million ‘hits’ the Pick for Britain website had received indicated a high level of initial interest, with the NFU estimating around 11% of seasonal agricultural roles being filled by domestic workers, up from the more usual 1%. Some had stayed on to

take up permanent employment. The NFU is seeking government support for the Pick for Britain 2021 campaign to meet the additional costs of recruiting, training and retaining UK workers, compared with those from Eastern Europe or further afield. “We are asking for a ‘resilience scheme’ that would support jobs for 18 to 24-year-olds in fruit and veg production, modelled on the Department for Work and Pensions’ existing Kickstart job support scheme,” says Mr Abbey. “Kickstart provides funding to employers to help create jobs for young people who are on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. It covers minimum or living wages for 25 hours a week for six months, national insurance and auto-enrolment pension contributions and some support for training costs. “We also want to see the department address some of the benefits disincentives that put off potential recruits from taking seasonal jobs.” He says it’s also vital that the number of seasonal worker visas can be increased rapidly if evidence shows it is required. 2 Spring 2021

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Covid-19

Test and take control

Routine testing is now available for growers looking to undertake workplace Covid monitoring

Words by: Spence Gunn he NFU has welcomed the government’s decision to offer rapid workplace Covid testing to all businesses in England with more than 50 employees. The move came after the NFU had already succeeded in ensuring growers of edible crops, and their on-farm staff, were included in a government-backed testing scheme for the food industry. “Many growers have been asking about routine testing for their workforce, to help mitigate the risk of an outbreak disrupting production as well as to give confidence to employees,” says NFU chief horticulture and potatoes adviser Lee Abbey. “Growers of ornamental plants, as well as edible crops, will now be able to take up the government-backed scheme.” Open to businesses in England employing more then 50 people, including seasonal workers, the scheme sends out ‘lateral flow device’ test kits so all staff unable to work from home can be tested regularly. The kits will be available free until at least the end of March. As well as providing the kits, the scheme offers guidance on the clinically-

approved protocols for setting up a testing site at the workplace and running the tests, staff training and a digital reporting mechanism to notify results to Public Health England for its official test and trace system. “It’s really important not to regard testing as a first line of defence,” says NFU health and safety adviser Tom Price. “Growers still need to be doing all they can to follow the Covid-safe working practices detailed by the government, by the HSE and the industry-specific information on the NFU website. “Grouping workers into cohorts is particularly important to minimise disruption should an outbreak occur or a worker test positive.” The availability of the workplace test means growers can identify as soon as possible anyone with an asymptomatic infection – when the disease can spread before people show symptoms. All positive test results have to be reported to Public Health England and those testing positive, and their contacts, must follow existing selfisolation rules. Some growers have already decided to call in a private company to routinely test their workforce, or to buy lateral flow kits and train staff to test themselves. At around £15 each, costs can mount up for weekly tests across a workforce, together with allowing for training and staff time – but many believe that’s easily offset by the potential savings in business disruption costs. The government has published a list of test

providers, together with guidance on the types of test available and on how to manage a testing programme within existing health and safety, employment and data protection legislation. “We know the HSE is taking workplace Covid risks very seriously,” says Mr Price. “All business sectors are subject to checks, including farms and nurseries, through phone interviews and site visits, and although the aim is to offer advice and information, they are also taking enforcement action where necessary.” 2

FURTHER GUIDANCE ON WORKPLACE COVID MANAGEMENT AND TESTING Online portal to register for workplace testing • gov.uk/get-workplacecoronavirus-tests NFU information on testing and guidance on Covid-safe working and business advice • nfuonline.com/news/latestnews then click on separate coronavirus advice links Government advice on Covid-safe working • gov.uk/guidance/workingsafely-during-coronaviruscovid-19 Government guidance on testing • gov.uk/government/ publications/coronavirus-covid19-testing-guidance-foremployers Health and Safety Executive guidance • hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/ index.htm

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Statutory levies

Yes or no, change is afoot

The future of the statutory levies for horticulture and potatoes remain in the balance while AHDB

is embarking on far-reaching reforms across these and its other crop and livestock sectors he future for statutory levy payments to fund R&D or marketing work in horticulture and potatoes is being decided by growers – through a ballot of AHDB Horticulture levy payers that closed on 10 February; and a ballot in the potato sector that runs until 17 March (see page 19). The ballots were triggered after official requests were submitted from more than 5% of levy payers in each sector – the threshold required under the legislation governing the levy body. Meanwhile, in December, AHDB published for consultation its new five-year strategy, responding to a review of the organisation completed by Defra last April, and the views of growers and grower groups aired since then. AHDB’s proposals include substantial changes to the way horticulture and potato grower levies are set and how its work for the sectors is prioritised and budgeted – addressing areas at the core of significant grower concerns for several years. The NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board has welcomed some of the reforms AHDB has outlined for the two

sectors, says chief horticulture and potatoes adviser Lee Abbey, as they look to address long-standing criticisms, such as which elements of a business the levy is calculated on. “For horticulture, we’ve been calling for a levy based on the farm-gate value of the crop, rather than the turnover of an entire business,” he points out. “AHDB is now promising to work with growers to create a new system that works for the different crop sectors.” Under what AHDB calls a ‘zerobased budget’ approach, each sector (including each of the different crop areas within horticulture such as field vegetables and tree fruit) would propose and agree work plans with AHDB; the work would be costed so that levies reflected the plans agreed; work would be reported transparently, indicating costs and benefits to levy payers; and levy rates would be varied between sectors, and possibly even between crops, to reflect the work required and agreed. Any underspend would be held in the relevant sector’s reserves to offset costs for future work. In horticulture, the levy paid by growers would be assessed on the value of produce ‘leaving the farm gate’,

adjusted to deduct costs associated with ‘value-added’ processes such as packing. The NFU has already raised the question of how the value of inputs such as seeds and young plants should be dealt with when levy turnover is calculated. AHDB Horticulture Board chairman Hayley Campbell-Gibbons has acknowledged that some levy payers believe payment based on last year’s turnover is unfair and has suggested calculations could be based on area rather than turnover ‘where appropriate for a crop or sector’. “Members have long been saying they want greater control over their levy expenditure,” says Mr Abbey. “It will be important they get enough information about the options to make clear choices and any new system has to be flexible enough to avoid unfairly collecting levy on crops where little or no research is done.” In potatoes, the levy would be made on a £ per ha basis, as now, but with a mechanism to avoid it being charged on any crop not sold, for example due to flooding. “We welcome that approach,” says NFU adviser for potatoes, Rupert

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Statutory levies Weaver. “But any rebate system will have to be absolutely clear and not an administrative burden for growers.” The levy body has also made promises about improving governance and has said it wants to change the make-up of its main board so at least half of its members will be current or recent levy payers. Others will have expertise in areas such as marketing, research and environmental matters. The NFU says more effective grower representation, with levy payers at the heart of AHDB’s boards and crop sector panels, will be key to achieving AHDB’s planned reforms. “Horticulture crop panel members need to be nominated or supported by levy payers and their roles need to be better defined,” says Mr Abbey. “And AHDB sector board members should bring an industry-wide knowledge, not just views based on their own business interests.” There’s also appetite for the AHDB Potatoes Board to have more control over how the levy is spent, rather than deferring to an advisory panel. When it comes to setting out work plans, the strategy deals with principles rather than detail. The focus for horticulture would be crop protection, including trials of new products, development of integrated pest management and research on new pest and disease threats alongside the widely-valued EAMU programme. It would also look at workforce productivity, uptake of robotics, better management of resources such as water and soil and work to support ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions. For potatoes, the strategy concentrates on crop protection, storage and marketing. The sector has long been split on AHDB’s role in marketing, with many growers feeling it’s now their customers’ responsibility. NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board members are calling for more detail on proposals for improving levy-payer communications. Potato growers have been particularly critical of a perceived lack of proactivity by AHDB during the Covid-19 pandemic last year. Growers in horticulture say they have found it increasingly difficult

“AHDB IS NOW PROMISING TO WORK WITH GROWERS TO CREATE A NEW SYSTEM THAT WORKS FOR THE DIFFERENT CROP SECTORS.” Lee Abbey NFU chief horticulture and potatoes adviser

to access research reports and other sector-relevant information. Some grower groups who support the levy in principle have been putting forward their own suggestions for reform that go further than AHDB’s proposals. A number of the country’s largest fruit, vegetable, potato and ornamentals producers, who together contribute around 10% of AHDB Horticulture’s total levy income, have formed a working group which has been in discussions with AHDB. The Growers’ Better Levy Group wants the levy legally recognised as grower investment, and not ‘public money’, with payments eligible for R&D tax relief/credits. It says there should be more focus on near-market R&D, supported by strategic research and fundamental science; and mechanisms introduced to secure additional income from other parts of the supply chain, government and research bodies. The British Protected Ornamentals

Association (BPOA) and West Sussex Growers Association (WSGA) have also put forward their views on reform. “We have been engaging with AHDB since the ballot was announced,” says BPOA secretary Simon Davenport. “In the event of a ‘yes’ vote we need to have a clear vision of how we would like the future of R&D in ornamental horticulture to look.” Association chairman James Alcaraz adds: “The best way of maintaining the service provision the industry needs is supporting AHDB while it works out its revised organisational structure. We should hold it to account on its five commitments to the levy payers given in September. A ballot can be called at any time and this is something BPOA would feel free to support if progress was judged to be inadequate in the coming three years.” WSGA chair Richard Hopkins says the association is in full support of reform, adding: “To be relevant to as many levy payers as possible, AHDB must have a clear focus and make sure it doesn’t overreach into areas where commercial enterprises are already working effectively.” In the event of either sector voting against their levy, the final decision rests with the government, points out Mr Abbey. “Should the levy continue in either sector, the challenge for AHDB is to act on its promises quickly,” he adds. 2 Spring 2021

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Potato ballot

Decision time

Growers paying the AHDB Potato levy have their chance to vote on its continuation

rowers who pay AHDB’s potato sector levy have until 17 March to vote on its future. AHDB announced the ballot in December and voting opened on 17 February, run by independent company UK Engage. As with the horticulture ballot, all potato levy payers are being invited to vote yes or no as to whether or not they support the continuation of the sector’s statutory levy, the only question that can be asked under the existing regulations governing AHDB. The regulations also stipulate that only those who have paid the levy within the 12 months prior to the ballot closing date are entitled to vote. Growers who have not paid within the qualifying period, but who have agreed a deferred payment plan, for example because of the impact of Covid-19 on their business, can contribute a nominal £50 towards their levy to secure their entitlement to vote. The ballot’s result will be analysed and verified before being passed to ministers and published on AHDB’s website. The outcome is not binding on the government, but ministers will take account of the result in deciding whether the statutory levy stays or is scrapped.

Andrew Shaw

Grows in Cheshire for crisps, chip-shop and pre-pack markets “I’ve still to read all the detail about the reform proposals, but I’ve not been happy with AHDB, so at present I’m likely to vote against the levy continuing. “A major issue for me is how much of the organisation’s decisions seem to be driven by the big buyers, even though growers contribute around 80% of the levy income. “All growers have had a really turbulent time in the past four years and paid levy on crops not harvested or sold. In my view, the proposed changes to the levy collection system don’t go far enough. I think the levy should only be charged on tonnage sold. If a buyer is contracted to take 50,000 tonnes and only accepts 40,000 they’re not going to pay levy on the 10,000 they didn’t buy – it should be the same for growers. “Communications haven’t been good enough either. We in the north-west really don’t feel AHDB talks to us. The price information sent out to the trade press is often unrealistic in my view and that has knock-on effects, for example when growers are in discussions with their banks. There’s a lot of work on promotion, but not enough on promoting British potatoes or local specialities. “You have to be able to justify the money your business spends and right now I can’t justify what I pay AHDB in terms of what I get in return.”

Tony Bambridge

Seed and ware potato grower in Norfolk “The principle of a compulsory levy that everyone pays is a fair one, something I believe is incredibly valuable to the industry and, if lost, would be very hard to retrieve. “It’s the only independent source of funds for R&D. I’ve really valued their work on issues such as managing stem:tuber ratios, matching fertiliser rates to varieties, pest and disease control and irrigation scheduling – I think the NIAB CUF scheduling model funded by the levy is the best. Many growers hear about the results from agronomists, so it’s not always clear it’s our levy that funded the work. “In the past few years, however, it feels like AHDB’s main board and executive have forgotten that the levy is our money, so we do have to take back control of the budget and how it’s spent. I appreciate there was a need to pull the different levy bodies together, but it’s gone too far and lost focus on individual sectors’ needs. “Given that, I plan to vote in favour of retaining the levy, but do want to see significant reforms. The emphasis needs to be on R&D and on raising skills; market activity should focus on promoting health benefits and countering misinformation, not advertising potatoes.”

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Assurance

Standards Red Tractor is urging farmers to respond to a review of standards across its sector schemes.

We look at what it means for horticulture

ed Tractor has launched a consultation on updates to all six of its sector schemes, following a major review. The assurance organisation is urging farmers and growers to respond to a range of proposals for requirements in the beef and lamb, poultry, pigs, dairy, combinable crops and sugar beet, and fresh produce schemes. The final updates are expected to be published in June or July, after feedback from the consultation is considered by Red Tractor’s boards. Changes will then become requirements at inspections from November onwards.

“ONE OF THE MAIN CHANGES FOR OTHER SECTORS IS THE WORKER WELFARE ADDITION, BUT ALL THOSE NEW STANDARDS WERE ALREADY COVERED ELSEWHERE IN THE FRESH PRODUCE SCHEME” Rupert Weaver NFU horticultural adviser

Among the headline areas are new worker welfare rules, proposed to help guard against modern slavery, an area where horticulture finds itself ahead of the curve due to existing provisions in the Fresh Produce Scheme. Elsewhere, environmental protection standards will adapt legislation on soil erosion and nutrient run-off, the Farming Rules for Water, into measures which can be easily assessed on farm. For other sectors there are perhaps bigger changes that growers can expect this time around. 22

Horticulture businesses in the Fresh Produce Scheme find themselves ahead of the curve on worker welfare checks For example, animal welfare updates suggest a significant move towards more ‘outcome-based’ standards. Red Tractor says those will cover housing structures, cleanliness and ‘making it absolutely clear what is and isn’t acceptable when handling animals’.

WHAT ABOUT FRESH PRODUCE?

NFU horticultural adviser Rupert Weaver says changes in the Fresh Produce Scheme are “more a restructure than big additions”. “Compared to the last review the changes are fairly minor,” he adds, noting that the proposals came after a year of input by NFU representatives into the Fresh Produce Technical Advisory Committee. “They follow the longest gap

between reviews, and so changes are needed to bring standards into line with legislative changes, and to ensure that consumers have confidence in the Red Tractor logo,” he adds. “One of the main changes for other sectors is the worker welfare addition, but all those new standards were already covered elsewhere in the Fresh Produce Scheme. “The other significant changes are largely centred around the structure of the standards, rather than the content, with the crop protocols not being considered fit for the future. “There’s also a move to 10 core sections, with supplementary modules where relevant to particular businesses, which it is hoped will make the standards more efficient.” Of course, there are more detailed changes that have been proposed for

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Assurance

FRESH PRODUCE: THE KEY CHANGES

MAKING THE CASE

STRUCTURE

Red Tractor chief executive Jim Moseley has told a press conference that the proposals as a whole were crucial to ensure that the marque kept pace with consumer expectations, noting the four-year gap since the last updates. He says a failure to evolve risked shoppers “disregarding the Red Tractor and buying purely on price”, or retailers and brands introducing their own assurance with “less of an interest in buying British”. He adds: “Red Tractor is recognised as a symbol of British food quality but to maintain this, our standards must continue to evolve, to ensure they address changes in legislation, industry practice and reflect the emerging issues on shoppers’ minds. “At a time of ever-increasing scrutiny, preserving the public’s trust in UK agriculture and the Red Tractor logo has never been more important. “These proposals aim to strike a delicate balance that protects and promotes our members, reassures consumers and customers, while acknowledging the challenges that the industry faces with future trade deals and the agricultural transition plan.”

Members will see a new framework to the standards. There will be 10 core sections which apply to all farms, five operational area-based modules (assessed only where relevant) and two crop-specific modules. There has also been a reworking of the produce handling and packhouse packing section to allow this to cover rig-based packing operations and streamline assessment where a valid BRC certificate is held.

RISK MANAGEMENT

Existing standards have been reviewed to take into account site risk assessments and post-harvest water management. Additions have been made to reflect new growing techniques and non-traditional cropping systems such as vertical farms and hydroponics. Risks to soil would need to be considered before any work is carried out and soil testing completed at least every five years where organic manures or manufactured fertilisers are applied. Changes to crop waste management would help to limit disease risk or risk to other crops, while additional biosecurity measures are proposed in the protected cropping sector.

WORKER WELFARE

All agri-businesses will need to be aware of ethical trade risks, including modern slavery and to have taken appropriate steps to protect workers. The NFU believes most Fresh Produce members will already be compliant here.

COMPLIANCE

There would be new standards for the management of nitrate concentration in crops where legal parameters apply and two new standards to cover post-harvest treatments in the post-CIPC era. Records would need to be are kept on the introduction of biological control agents.

FOOD SAFETY

Several new standards are proposed to further strengthen food safety. They include daily start-up checks for harvest teams and two new standards concerning recirculation and re-use of post-harvest water. Read full proposals at assurance.redtractor.org.uk/red-tractor-review-2021

the scheme that can't be listed in this magazine, and the NFU is urging growers to take the time to check for individual impacts and to respond to the consultation, in addition to feeding into the main NFU response.

The consultation closes on 5 March and is at redtractor. citizenspace.com. Help shape the NFU’s submission at NFUonline. com/news/consultations

THE RIGHT TIME?

The CEO is facing questions about whether early 2021, with all of its uncertainties, was ‘the right time’ for a major review. Mr Moseley says that Covid-19 restrictions had actually enabled a greater number of technical board meetings on the proposals using digital platforms. He adds: “There is uncertainty, but consumers move on and there is an equal – in fact, probably a greater – pressure to ensure the standards are meeting their needs.”

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Water

DEALING WITH DROUGHT AND DELUGE

The NFU is calling for a revolution in water management – and horticultural growers

he UK must revolutionise its approach to water management as a critical part of its response to climate change, a landmark new NFU report says. It is urging government to engage with farmers and growers and to look at flooding, drought and water quality as a connected system. The Integrated Water Management Report calls for major investment in infrastructure to store water and to move it around the country, to be used miles from where it fell as rain. And it shows how farmers and growers are already leading the way, with examples of innovative work across the sectors to reduce water use and run-off, mitigate flooding, capture and reuse water, and to improve the environment. The report calls on policy makers to ‘scale-up’ that thinking to create

are among those leading the way long-term strategies for the whole nation, rather than scrambling each time the weather swings from deluge to drought.

‘NOW IS THE TIME’

Speaking after Storm Christoph left devastation for homeowners and swathes of productive farmland underwater in January, NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts said: “Now is the time to look at the bigger picture, as these extremes are impacting British farming’s ability to produce food. “Cooperation and collaboration between farmers, government and water companies is vital to manage flooding and drought risk and to ensure farmers and growers get their fair share of water.” He added: “Critical to this will be significant investment in our water infrastructure – an ambitious upgrade of ageing flood defences, drainage and

waterways. We should embrace Britain’s great engineering and science skills to look at ways of how we can collect and store water when some parts have too little and others too much. “This could enable farmers to grow more fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, or other crops here in Britain, in addition to farming smarter to bring down our emissions and help achieve our net zero ambition by 2040. “It is crucial the government shows leadership in developing a framework for managing water that acknowledges water for food production as an ‘essential water need’.” A ‘big picture’ view of water chimes particularly loudly in horticulture. Three-quarters of the fresh fruit and vegetables consumed in this country are imported from countries with considerably greater water challenges than our own – and often at a water Spring 2021

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Water cost far greater than is the case for UK production. A UK Irrigation Association report backed by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology puts the litres-of-water-per-kg-of-product for UK potatoes at 11, compared to 103 in Israel, while Spanish strawberries use almost twice as much water as UK product, the same source suggests. “Our agricultural and environmental direction post-Brexit presents a clear opportunity for British farming to become a global leader in sustainable, climate-friendly food production,” adds Mr Roberts.

INNOVATIVE, BUT VULNERABLE

CASE STUDY ‘I’M DETERMINED TO USE A KEY RESOURCE SUSTAINABLY’ Herefordshire grower and NFU Horticulture Board member Anthony Snell is among those featured in the report, sharing the approach to water he uses to produce 1,500 tonnes of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and blackcurrants, both organically and conventionally. The business is already ahead of the curve, having achieved ‘net zero’ status, and Anthony says he is “determined to drive down our demand for water and ensure that our use of this key resource is sustainable”. He adds: “We are working to achieve this by harnessing the heavy rainfall typical of the west of England through rainwater harvesting for use in crop irrigation during spells of drier weather. “We have installed a series of water storage lakes on the farm, which means we now have the capacity to collect the rain that falls on our land and polytunnels. “This water, which is then circulated through the polytunnels throughout the growing season, would otherwise run down the valley, contributing to flooding risks. It also means we don’t place additional stress on resources during the peak summer season. “Trickle irrigation pipes, which run through all the polythene tunnels, ‘drip’ water onto the fruit crops and minimise water waste. Introducing these water efficiency techniques has helped us reduce the amount of water we use by 50% and we have become very resilient to the risk of droughts. “This simple, but effective system provides 80% of our water needs and reduces the pressure for us to resort to abstracting water from our farm borehole or tapping into the mains water supply. “As well as mitigating local flood risks, the farm lakes have conservation value and have quickly become a haven for wildlife. For the first time in my life on this farm, we now have otters here.”

The NFU report says UK horticulture is ‘incredibly innovative’ and invests significant sums into water management to ensure water is used as efficiently as possible, with rainwater collection and harvesting, on-farm reservoirs, and trickle irrigation systems commonplace. But it makes clear that the sector is also vulnerable to both drought and flood events. Non-irrigated potato cropping, for example in the North West, has suffering from both extremes in recent years, while many crops in the South and South East of the country are heavily reliant on the availability of irrigation. It says greater investment in infrastructure is needed to collect, store and distribute water, not only on individual farms but between regions. The report adds: ‘Since horticultural production is primarily located in water-stressed parts of the country, strategic investment is needed to ensure that water is transferred from areas of surplus to areas of deficit. ‘Regional water plans must take full account of horticultural demand when creating schemes for the bulk transfer of water from areas of surplus to areas of scarcity. Schemes should distribute water through pipes and existing open channel INTEGRATED networks, supported by a network WATER MANAGEMENT of multisector reservoirs.’ 2 Read the report at NFUonline.com/water 26

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KEEPING IT COUNTRY

Labour

Fairer returns needed to offset increasing labour costs

Independent report suggests some larger businesses could seek to move overseas

K growers have seen labour costs under the National Living Wage increase by 34% since 2016. And added to other long-term labour challenges in the sector, this is threatening the viability of UK horticultural businesses, according to a new report. Independent research by Andersons, commissioned by the NFU, concludes that unless growers see more sustainable farmgate prices they may not be able to mitigate the impact of rising costs. Some businesses may decide to stop trading or even consider relocating abroad, the report says. While new varieties, new growing systems, mechanisation and

automation have allowed productivity gains for crops such as soft fruit, top fruit, vining peas and potatoes, many horticultural crops rely on a manual labour workforce and are particularly

“EVER-INCREASING COSTS MEAN SOME GROWERS MAY NO LONGER SEE THEIR BUSINESS AS VIABLE IN THE UK” Ali Capper NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman

exposed to high wage cost inflation, Andersons found. “Fruit and veg growers are seeing labour costs continue to rise sharply, at

a time when margins are tighter than ever,” said NFU Horticulture Board chairman Ali Capper. “Labour accounts for 40-70% of business turnover and, when coupled with ongoing recruitment challenges, businesses may become unviable. If nothing is done, we may begin to lose a thriving domestic industry and see more imports of fresh produce to replace that lost production. “Growers recognise and support the importance of the National Living Wage, but fairer returns from the supply chain are needed to ensure businesses are sustainable and can manage these increased costs. “As this report highlights, cost rises of this magnitude simply cannot be borne by growers alone.” 2

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Potatoes

What future for nematode control?

The unexpected decision at the end of December to ban the key nematicide Vydate meant many growers were faced with last-minute changes to planting and crop protection plans

Words by: Spence Gunn he NFU is supporting the potato industry’s push for a 120-day emergency authorisation for the nematicide Vydate 10G, following the surprise announcement in December that it was to be banned in the UK with immediate effect. The decision was later amended to give growers until the end of February to return stocks for disposal. AHDB has been working with Vydate’s manufacturer, Corteva Agriscience, to request emergency authorisations for the coming season for carrot, parsnip and some alliums, as well as potatoes. As this issue of Horticulture closed, discussions were still under way between the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD), Defra officials and ministers, with a decision expected imminently. “Vydate was in the process of being reauthorised,” says NFU potatoes

country’s potato land carrying some adviser Rupert Weaver. “Corteva was level of infestation by potato cyst only told by CRD late on Christmas nematode (PCN) – the crop’s most Eve that it wouldn’t be granted. significant nematode pest – losing “That wasn’t something we were access to Vydate saw growers having to expecting. Apart from being such a make major changes to their crop widely-used and relied-on product, we protection and cropping plans, believe the timing of the just before the start of the announcement was planting season. unacceptable – just One reason Vydate before a public holiday THE NFU IS SUPPORTING THE has been so widely and only a week POTATO INDUSTRY’S used is its 80-day before it took effect, PUSH FOR A 120harvest interval, leaving growers no DAY EMERGENCY time to prepare. AUTHORISATION FOR making it the only suitable product “We’ve been THE NEMATICIDE VYDATE 10G effective against PCN highlighting the on early and second-early importance of a timely potato crops in particular; decision on the emergency one of the emergency authorisation requests, authorisations being sought is particularly because the short disposal specifically for this use. date means stocks will have already Agronomist and grower Andy left farms – so may have to be returned Alexander is a member of the NFU if authorisation is granted. We’d hoped Potato Forum and the Nematicide the decision would be made by now.” Stewardship Group, set up in 2015 to Nematicides are applied at planting. help growers follow best practice to With around two-thirds of the

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Potatoes

Growers were forced to make late changes to planting plans prolong access to nematicides. He says that despite the role effective crop rotation, good hygiene and variety selection can play in a control strategy, nematicides remain a key component, especially as they are most effective when infestations are still low. “I was among those who were spending a lot of time over the autumn in contact with CRD and ministers

“WITHOUT THE NEMATICIDE STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMME WE MAY WELL HAVE LOST ALL OUR NEMATICIDES BY NOW” Andy Alexander Agronomist

defending Vydate,” he says. “I thought we were going to be okay, given how important it is to growers, so the decision came as a shock.”

ALTERNATIVES

He added: “We do have alternatives, but none are direct replacements. For example, Nemathorin has a longer harvest interval, 119 days, which means you can’t use it on earlies and secondearlies. I’ve already had growers who I work with saying they will have to cut their area of those crops as a result. “Velum Prime is a newer product with no harvest interval so is an alternative for early crops. It’s a liquid

rather than a granule and although it can be applied overall, it is best applied as an in-furrow treatment. Some growers have adapted planting machinery with applicators to do that.” Nemguard PCN is a granular formulation containing garlic extract. It is also applied at planting and has no harvest interval. Mr Alexander believes the Nematicide Stewardship Programme is now more important than ever. “Without it we may well have already lost all our nematicides by now,” he says. “Growers have responded well to its best practice guidance and the training it offers – and of course its protocols are now required by the Red Tractor assurance scheme.” Because of the stewardship programme, the industry has invested heavily in training and in adapting machinery to reduce some of the environmental risks noted for nematicide granules – for example, to ensure they are fully soil-incorporated and not laying visible on the soil surface where they could be ingested by birds or mammals. “That’s been highly successful,” says NFU senior regulatory affairs adviser Chris Hartfield. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to have been enough to support Vydate’s future authorisation in the UK." He added that the product’s active ingredient will be available to EU growers for at least another year. The dwindling number of nematicides – Vydate follows the withdrawal of Mocap in 2019 – means soil testing is now even more important to the crop’s management, as it’s becoming increasingly clear that PCN can multiply from barelydetectable levels to highly damaging populations in the space of one crop. This means even a small infestation needs prompt attention. “I go for a professional company which supplies the soil-testing results as GPS maps, so you can see not just which fields but which parts of a field are affected,” says Mr Alexander. PCN tends to occur in patches, rather than being evenly distributed in a field, but can be spread from these ‘hotspots’ by machinery.

NEMATICIDE OPTIONS It’s not just potato growers who have depended on Vydate 10G to control nematode pests – the product had approvals or EAMUs for use on carrots and parsnips; onions, garlic and shallots; and outdoor ornamentals. The following alternative nematicides are currently authorised for use on horticultural crops and potatoes: • Nemathorin 10G (fosthiazate). Granule with label approval for potato; EAMU covering outdoor ornamentals, hops and soft fruit. Currently authorised until 2024 • Velum Prime (fluopyram). Liquid formulation with label approval for potato and carrot. Currently authorised until 2026 • Nemguard (garlic extract). Granule formulations with label approval for carrot and parsnip (Nemguard DE and Nemguard Granules) or potato (Nemguard PCN Granules). Nemguard DE has an EAMU for onion, garlic, leek and shallot. Currently authorised until 2023.

“As well as making a decision about which fields to use, you can decide to change the way you manage a field – for example by operating machinery in a different direction to avoid spreading the problem from a badly affected area to the rest of the field,” he says. “Machinery hygiene is key, so always clean machinery between fields. “And don’t dispose of potentially contaminated soil, for example after preparing potatoes for storage, on clean fields.” 2 Spring 2021

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Potatoes

POTATO FORUM

Combating isolation and discovering how to make a great family business

Alex Godfrey Potato Forum chairman How are you? Really? Growing and selling potatoes has never been easy, and the ever-dwindling number of people we work with has made it a steadily more isolated occupation. But the past year has been something else. We’ve had to isolate more than ever, and the pressures on us as users of crop protection products, employers, and as marketers of produce have been immense. I know I have struggled at times; I think you’d have to be a robot not to. I am fortunate to have strong support networks and I hope you do too – don’t be afraid to use them. Last year I became a trustee of the Lincolnshire Rural Support Network, a fantastic volunteer-led charity providing financial and emotional support. It has counterparts elsewhere in the country – and of course RABI and the Farming Community Network operate nationwide. RABI has just launched farming’s biggestever wellbeing survey to help it and its partner charities develop effective tools and support strategies – please take a moment to fill it in at its website (ex.ac.uk/ BigFarmingSurvey). These charities are there for all of us who need them – and we need them more than ever. The NFU is also there to look out for us, on the policy and campaigning front. The announcement that seed potatoes would be excluded from EU third country recognition, preventing exports to Europe, was hugely disappointing, but I’m confident it isn’t the end of the story. We are also keeping a close eye on the situation regarding potato trade with Northern Ireland. The decision not to reapprove the nematicide Vydate was another ‘unwanted Christmas present’ that hit growers hard. We’re working with the industry on emergency authorisations to help those most acutely affected. One decision we all face in the next few weeks is how to vote in the ballot on the future of the statutory levy for AHDB Potatoes. The NFU’s job is to communicate what we as growers and as the NFU and wider industry get from the levy, and therefore what we would lose if it went. It’s up to each of us as growers to decide – but I would urge you to read the information provided, attend one of AHDB’s ‘town hall meetings’ and use your vote before the ballot closes on 17 March. I hope 2021 is better, but while we are finding out, please stay safe. And although you may have to isolate physically, please don’t allow yourself to become isolated.

Peter Craven Potato Forum member An advanced agricultural business management course at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester was a real reset point in my life. The three-week residential course gave me time away from the farm to consider my business and personal life objectives. There I met Karen Brosnan. She was presenting to our group on leadership and later suggested that I should apply for a ‘Nuffield’. After a gruelling interview process, I was delighted to be selected as a 2020 Nuffield Scholar. My subject is, ‘How to progress a family farming business from good to great’. My aim is to identify great family businesses and define what they do that makes them great and how they maintain this greatness. My plan is to learn from family businesses not just in agriculture, but also in fashion, manufacturing, brewing and construction, to name just a few. I aim to understand the ‘recipe’ to go from ‘good to great’, to enable our family business and others to start on that journey. My Nuffield journey started in February 2020 visiting enterprises on the North and South islands of New Zealand. I met many large potato and dairy businesses, one run by seven brothers and another by four cousins. I also met a Maori farming setup that had more than 1,000 family members needing to work together, and with a group of five Brethren families who all farmed together. It was great to see the levels of collaboration between farming enterprises in New Zealand. The businesses had a fantastic grasp of data and technology and their financial analysis was cutting edge. New Zealand farmers are ahead of us in many ways and there’s lots we can learn from them as we move towards a subsidy-free model. Within the ‘new normal’ that Covid has created, I am continuing my research via Zoom meetings. It’s not how I envisaged my Nuffield travels, but it has enabled a different perspective and has increased the industries and locations that I can reach. I am looking forward to getting back to travelling, meeting people face-to-face and visiting their farms and businesses. I am confident that there is a formula for family success, and I have already seen some of it in action. I look forward to being able to share my insights with the wider agricultural industry very soon.

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Meet the grower

Lee Stiles, the secretary for the Lea Valley Growers Association, gives an insight into their work Words by: Lorna Maybery What is the Lea Valley Growers Association? We were formed in 1911 to represent the rising number of glasshouse growers in the area, and we’re situated just on the borders of Essex, Hertfordshire and London. Most of our growers are in Essex now, although some have expanded right up to Yorkshire, so there are Lea Valley growers all around the country. Originally, glasshouse growers set up in the Lea Valley because the area was a day’s horse and cart ride to Covent Garden Market, which is where their produce was sold. Back then they grew in the soil and there is plenty of good soil and plenty of water here. We are based in Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, a mile from junction 25 of the M25 and still only 15 miles from Piccadilly Circus. Who do you represent? We have around 100 members who all grow under glass, with more than 95% growing edibles. At its height, the association had 650 members with 1,100 acres under glass, and in the 1950s the Lea Valley had the largest area of glasshouse in the world, but urban sprawl has taken

their lunch at home after the lockdown in March, and, as it was coming into summer, they were eating more salad, so salad sales demand went up between 30% and 40%. The growers were able to meet the demand, but not always from home-grown. A LEA VALLEY lot of members have GROWERS farms in Spain and MEMBERS Morocco and in Israel, GROW 80 MILLION so they can grow all CUCUMBERS, 120M year round.

over quite a lot of the nurseries as London has expanded. Despite the decline in acreage, the 370 acres we have now is more productive due to technological advances than when we had three times as much under glass.

What do your members grow? Collectively, we grow 80 million cucumbers, 120m peppers and 100m aubergines each PEPPERS AND 100M year. I haven’t counted AUBERGINES What is your role in the tomatoes, but there EACH YEAR the association? is a lot! Tomatoes are I’m the secretary and have becoming the predominant been for 12 years and my role is crop as it is higher value. We still really wide ranging. I do everything account for three-quarters of the UK’s from helping with grant applications cucumber crop, and about 70% of the to advising on water licences because pepper crop. trickle irrigation has lost its exemption now, so all our growers Where do they sell their produce? had to apply for a water licence. More than 90% of our sales are to the There’s also the Climate Change major retailers and supermarkets and Levy Scheme, which I help with if since 2016 they have wanted more they get in trouble with it. The food British products and that has given our assurance audits, such as Red growers the confidence to invest and Tractor, can be tricky. The NFU build more glass. Sales were up about provides an excellent pack for this 30% this past year. and I’ll go through that with members if they are unsure of What was behind the rise in sales anything. I also organise an annual last year? charity ball, which makes more than Everyone who would normally grab a £25,000 every year. We have a lot of Pret or Costa lunch started making

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Meet the grower

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Meet the grower overseas customers and suppliers who would normally attend – it’s all very multi-cultural here. What else can you help with? I also look after the growers’ insurance, being an agent for NFU Mutual as well, and help them with any legal issues they night have. I negotiate with the council on their behalf in regards to planning for workers’ accommodation. This is something we have been lobbying the council for successfully, so a lot of growers are moving from caravan accommodation to purpose-built housing for their workers, which helps because it’s a better environment for the worker and helps the grower attract staff as it’s a better place to live on site. I also run all the social media for the association.

Tomatoes are becoming the predominant crop due to their higher value boiler flume and that goes back into the crop and they love that it, it makes them grow more quickly.

Who else helps out? We have an executive committee of seven growers who attend the AGM. Do you use renewable energy? They do a lot of the media work, for Yes, growers have anaerobic digesters, the likes of BBC News and Countryfile. biomass, combined heat and power We have had quite a lot of filming engines, and we produce electricity to requests for our sites, including use in the glasshouses. We aspire to be Netflix’s Black Mirror and Channel 4’s carbon neutral and are pretty much Humans – we had a load of there already. It’s one of the robots walking around the most efficient forms of pepper crops. Being growing you can get. You “THERE WILL BE close to London we get can get half a million A TIME WHEN WE WILL RUN OUT a lot of interest from cucumbers out of an OF AN AVAILABLE the media and a lot of acre of glass or you WORKFORCE AND them are interested can get three tonnes THE REALITY IS in the homegrown of wheat out of an THAT WE HAVEN’T story, which is good. acre of field. What HAD A BRITISH WORKFORCE SINCE you can produce in a THE 1950S” What advances in small area under glass technology have helped is amazing. to make growers more efficient and productive? Has Brexit had an impact on your We grow different plant varieties, and members’ businesses? use trickle irrigation and 99% of Everything comes from Europe, from produce is grown using hydroponics. the plants, to the machinery to the Planting is done using mostly rockwall, growing media; its mainly Dutch. some coir, which is ground coconut Holland is the world centre of rusk, and we have a small, less than glasshouse horticulture, so pretty much everything comes from there. 1%, organic crop that is still grown in It’s not been too bad, minor delays at the soil. Harwich and Dover, but it’s only been It’s pretty much carbon neutral. We hours, so not a massive deal. We had recycle rainwater that lands on the the issue at the start of last lockdown glasshouses and that goes into the where Spanish drivers didn’t want to crop, and we recycle the fertiliser, to come over and that was at the tail-end save money. We extract CO2 from the 36

of the winter programme, so caused a bit of an issue. SAWS has been extended to 30,000 this year. Are growers still worried they won’t have enough labour this season? The biggest concern for growers is getting staff over in the next couple of months when the picking really begins. I would say 99% of the workforce is European. We have 2,500 workers and they are nearly all European, mostly Romanian and Bulgarian, and there is no guarantee they are going to want to come back or that the UK will let them back. We did have an exemption to quarantine on site last year, which meant overseas workers could quarantine while working, but I’m not sure what is happening this year. With a workforce of 2,500, we are not as needy as some horticulture sectors, but we are still going to struggle and have struggled for two years now to get people to come over from Europe, either because of the exchange rate or the availability of work in their own country or simply elsewhere in Europe is easier for workers to get to. Do you think many of these roles should be classed as skilled jobs? We call being a harvester and picker a skilled role; you need a good eye for it. If you pick at the wrong time you are

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Meet the grower

The Princess Royal visits a new glasshouse in Nazeing, Essex, in 2017 – the largest built in the Lea Valley since the 1950s

losing money, if you don’t look after the plant properly, it won’t produce the crop you need. It’s a skilled job; you can’t just come out of an office and start growing and harvesting because you need to be able to understand if a crop is developing and growing correctly, if it’s pest free and what it might need for the best result. We class it as a skilled job… but the government doesn’t. Did Pick for Britain help in the recruitment of workers last year? There will be a time when we will run out of an available workforce and the reality is that we haven’t had a British workforce since the 1950s and there is

no indication that’s going to change. We had well-intentioned inquiries from people wanting to know more, but essentially it's hard manual work in a warm environment, you can’t get away from that, and harvesting technology is years away for the type of produce we grow. We have always needed workers from overseas, so why should that change now? How are your growers coping with the challenges of Covid-19? Last year was particularly difficult due to the pandemic and this year things may be equally as difficult for the same reasons. Growers are pretty resilient and have managed to change the way they work. In the greenhouses it’s quite easy to

Most association members are in Essex, although some businesses have expanded over the years and there are now members all over the country

socially distance as you often have only about four people to an acre. In the pack houses they have changed shift patterns, spread people out, put up screens and maybe cut down on some lines, for instance not many people do cucumber portions any more as there is a lot more labour involved for not any more profit. Growers have gone through a period where demand has shot up and the availability of labour has reduced, so they have had to make changes. What issues have there been for your ornamental members? About 5% of our members are ornamentals, so they get a lot of stock from Europe and need plant passports They haven’t had a massive problem, but there are additional costs and red tape and they have to employ a customs agent unless they want to do the paperwork themselves. Do you think consumers are thinking more now about where their food comes from? When people were shopping and it wasn’t available for a short time last year, I think they did think about where there food is coming from. A lot of the retailers do use provenance when it is in season so our produce will have Union Jacks on and be in Union Jack boxes when in season, but in the winter, none of it is British for three or four months, so people have to be realistic and understand we can’t grow certain types of produce all year round. 2 Spring 2021

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Guest Column

As the NFU relaunches the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Fruit, Vegetables and Horticulture,

external affairs graduate trainee Tom Goss explains the ethos behind it

s we stand at the dawn of a new era for British horticulture, there has never been a better time to garner support for the industry from our elected representatives. As Britain embarks on its journey as an independent trading nation and with the Agriculture Act – the first primary domestic legislation governing agriculture for more than 70 years – now on our statute books, it’s clear that change is afoot. Developing and maintaining strong relationships with MPs in Westminster will therefore be key as we begin to navigate the road ahead, to ensure we can positively shape future horticultural policy. In order to do so, the NFU is re-launching a group that will bring together passionate MPs to champion the domestic horticulture industry. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fruit, Vegetables and Horticulture will provide us with an excellent vehicle for bringing together

this will contribute to the growth of the MPs and Members of the House of sector, for which there is significant Lords from across the political potential, and help us to continue to get spectrum to unite behind particular the message out to the wider public. issues pertinent to growers. As we move forward, the APPG will The group will be headed up by be the perfect platform to communicate Conservative MP for Stafford, Theo some of the challenges facing Clarke and Rosie Duffield, our horticultural sector to Labour MP for policymakers and, we Canterbury, will take up “THE NFU the role of vice-chair. IS RE-LAUNCHING hope, a vehicle to The group will A GROUP THAT WILL securing real policy BRING TOGETHER changes that benefit have two main roles. PASSIONATE MPS our members. In the Firstly, to raise TO CHAMPION coming months, the awareness and THE DOMESTIC group will be focusing understanding of the HORTICULTURE on key policy issues to domestic horticulture INDUSTRY” ensure that growers are industry in given more certainty for the Westminster, and secondly years ahead. to be the voice of fruit, The group itself has challenges to vegetable, potato and flower growers, overcome. Like everyone else at the both inside and outside parliament. moment its members will have to battle We are launching our group in the with the complications of virtual calls coming weeks, hosting an event that and meetings, but rest assured that we will demonstrate the importance of are chomping at the bit to meet buying British, but also, and face-to-face with MPs as soon as importantly, of buying seasonal possible to champion the fantastic work produce. Ensuring that our politicians of our sector. 2 properly understand the importance of

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Mobile No 07896 880724 landline 01604 671246 email crateman@email.com www.thepalletboxshop.com

FOR SALE New and Once Used vented plastic trays. Size 600 x 400 x 250 Grey price £3.45 each New Size 600 x 400 x 290 Red/ Blue or /Black £3.90 each

Discount available on large quantities ordered. With thousands used plastic boxes available, PALLET BOX SHOP is your one-stop shop for second-hand trays

HOUSE GUARDS SECURITY

RESIDENTIAL SECURITY GUARDS Specialising in vacant and remote properties, including, country homes, manors, farms and estates. • UK coverage • Self-contained accommodation • All guards are SIA licensed • SIA Approved Contractor for Security Guarding • Established 1992

www.houseguards.co.uk

enquiries@houseguards.co.uk 01547 560022

JPG

GROUNDWORKS

• New buildings • Road and track reclamation • All aspects of concreting • Ditching and drainage • Tree cutting with tree shears and saw blade Covering Sussex, Surrey and Hants

Tel: 01730 816788 www.jpggroundworks.co.uk • james@jpgbuild.co.uk

I can’t live without...

Ali Capper grows top fruit and hops in Worcestershire. She is chairman of the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board, and of the British Apples and Pears growers’ group, and a director of the British Hop Association

Bees and pollinators

From beehives, to bee hotels (for the solitary bees), to integrated pest management and planting wildflower strips in two out of every three tree rows, we do everything possible at home on the farm to create as much biodiversity in our orchards as possible. Because without the pollinators, there's no pollination... and no apples!

My phone

Calls, texts, WhatsApp, emails, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, my camera, my calculator, the NFU app, the easyfundraising app for shopping, my banking app, the weather forecast (four apps!), our farm weather station, The Times, The Economist, BBC News, my music, Zoom, Teams, the internet… I would be lost without it.

Walking with family and friends

Walking keeps me sane; three to four miles a day with friends and, when I can persuade them, my family. Long hikes at the weekends involve picnics and sometimes a hip flask!

Spring 2021

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We do the paperwork

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 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

Spapperi Inter Plant Weeder

- Reduces reliance on chemicals to control weeds - Increases productivity - Reduces labour costs - Works in and around row crops including pumpkins, rhubarb, Christmas trees, brussel sprouts - Available as 1, 2, 3 and 4 row machine

Spapperi Transplanter

- Plant cuttings, bare root plants, cubic root balls, conical root balls and pyramid root balls. - Also available for planting through plastic.

james@jfhudson.co.uk www.jfhudson.co.uk

07803765440