NFU HORTICULTURE SPRING 2022

Spring 2022

For horticulture and potato members of the NFU

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Attain the funding your farm deserves The challenges of Agricultural R&D tax claims UK farmers are set to lose key funding with the transition to subsidies based on sustainable practices amidst unprecedented change. The industry is also under increasing pressure with decreasing pro tability due to the impact of Brexit. Adapting farming practices and implementing new technologies will become vital to maintain pro tability.

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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: Hayley Campbell-Gibbons Michael Barker 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 Christine McDowell Horticulture adviser e: christine.mcdowell@ 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

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

WELCOME

A

Read more about Ali's time as chairman on p18

fter three terms and six years in total as chairman of the NFU’s national Horticulture and Potatoes Board it is time for me to stand aside and hand the reins to a new chairman. At the time of writing, I do not know which board member will be taking on the position as it will be decided by the board in a vote at our next meeting in March.

I must thank firstly the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes team which, over these six years has included Hayley Campbell-Gibbons and Chris Hartfield (past senior advisers), Amy Gray and Emily Roads (past advisers) and today’s fantastic team led by Lee Abbey - Christine McDowell and Rupert Weaver. There are so many other NFU staff to thank across Food and Farming, Policy, Communications, External Affairs, Plant Health, Legal, LAS, county advisers and regional staff – the list is a long one. I have also had tremendous support during my six years from our NFU officeholders: previously Peter Kendall, Meurig Raymond and Guy Smith and today’s team of Minette Batters, Stuart Roberts and Tom Bradshaw.

“I have been humbled to lead the NFU’s lobbying work for our sector and give huge thanks to our hard-working Horticulture and Potatoes Board members who give up time from their businesses to engage with, comment on and inform a wide and challenging variety of policy issues” It has been a tumultuous six years of Brexit, Covid and now inflation. 2020 will remain the stand-out year in my memory – phone calls from distressed members at all times of day, from 6.30am until late at night, daily calls with government, frantic assessments of the impacts of Covid and the mitigations our members needed and working closely with all the NFU commodity board chairs and staff to drive a consistent and clear approach to our lobbying.

I have been humbled to lead the NFU’s lobbying work for our sector and give huge thanks to our hard-working Horticulture and Potatoes Board members (past and present) who give up time from their businesses to engage with, comment on and inform a wide and challenging variety of policy issues. Thank you finally to all the NFU members I have met, talked to and got to know. This is an amazing sector to represent and I have (mostly) enjoyed every minute of it!

Ali Capper Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman Spring 2022

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Contents

More than 5,400 people have downloaded the NFU’s dedicated mobile app – and with a wealth of fast-changing trade, campaigns and supply chain news being added daily, there’s never been a more important time to 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.

38 18 06

09

NEWS AND POLICY A round-up of what the NFU is doing for you, including possible progress on border inspection fees and a new CO₂ deal RELIEF FOR LABOUR PAINS We look at a hard-won extension to the seasonal labour scheme and where it leaves growers

14

LEVY LATEST Could, or should, there be a horticulture levy mechanism in future?

16

PEAT PREDICAMENT Why growers must make their voices heard

19

IT’S GOODBYE FROM HER… As your board chair steps away from the role, we look back on Ali Capper’s superb service to the sector

25

£40bn AMBITION A spotlight on the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group

26

LET'S GET CALCULATING Your guide to carbon footprinting

29

TRIBUTES AND CHANGE AT THE BPOA Reporting on their AGM

30

TRADE ANALYSIS Opportunities for growers in the Gulf

32

THE ENERGY DRAIN The impacts of sky-high costs and NFU Energy advice

34

POTATOES IN TRANSITION Details emerge of the AHDB wind-down

35

STORAGE SUCCESS This season’s sprout suppression options

37

FROM THE FORUM With Potato Forum chairman Alex Godfrey and forum administrator Rupert Weaver

38

MEET THE GROWER How Hayloft Plants in Worcestershire has risen to the challenge of an eventful two years

43

GUEST COLUMN From Defra’s chief plant health officer Nicola Spence

46

I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT Barfoots MD and ginger beer fan Julian Marks chooses his essentials Spring 2022

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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

Abstraction licences

The NFU has raised a series of concerns over plans to bring water abstraction licences into the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) regime.

The proposals in a Defra consultation had no start date, but would be significant because permits are subject to ‘periodic review’ by the Environment Agency.

The NFU said abstraction was a poor fit for the EPR and could increase uncertainty over access to water and add regulatory burden. It has sought “strong assurances that a common sense and pragmatic approach will be applied”.

Read our full response at NFUonline.com/ abstractionlicenceresponse

Peat use

Growers are being urged to feed into a government consultation that could have far-reaching impacts on the future of peat use.

Defra is calling for views on its proposal to end the retail sale of peat in England and Wales by 2024, a move it says will protect peatlands and help to mitigate climate change.

Despite the cross-industry Growing Media Taskforce – whose key participants include the NFU – having an ambitious target to phase out peat in commercial horticulture by 2028-30, there are concerns the government may be looking to adopt an accelerated timetable there too.

Read more on p16

Supply chain survey

Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) Mark White has launched this year’s GCA Survey, providing an important chance for growers who supply direct to a major retailer to share their views on compliance with the groceries code in confidence.

Mr White said last year’s exercise, his first in post, had proved invaluable in his discussions with senior supermarket management.

Delisting, forecasting and a rise in inexperienced buyers were among the issues taken forwards.

Take part at gov.uk/government/ news/gca-launches-2022annual-survey

Levelling up

Hort and the SFI

Important changes are needed to allow horticulture businesses to tap into the government’s forthcoming Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the NFU has said. Horticulture and Potatoes Board Chair Ali Capper is calling for “real incentives” if areas of high-value crops grown on small acreage are to be swapped for environmental measures. She said a sector-specific offer must include incentives tailored to the full range of crops and cropping systems, rewarding growers for operating to the best environmental practices.

6

Scheme costs?

The NFU Horticulture team is seeking urgent clarification on whether the Home Office intends to implement a new minimum wage for the recently-extended Seasonal Worker Scheme.

Board Chair Ali Capper said reports that a rate would be set in line with the skilled worker route into the UK would mean a wage hike in the sector of around 13%.

She told NFU Council that the additional labour costs could pile pressure on businesses already facing significant energy and input cost increases. More from p9.

The NFU called for policies that genuinely reach all parts of the country when the government tabled its Levelling Up White Paper.

NFU President Minette Batters said the publication marked an “important opportunity for rural areas to engage and to demonstrate everything they deliver for the country”.

She highlighted transport, skills training – and particularly digital connectivity – as key areas for development. The White Paper had confirmed that the government manifesto pledge to deliver super-fast broadband for all by 2025 will now be delayed by five years.

Spring 2022

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News updates

PROGRESS ON IMPORT INSPECTIONS?

NFU campaigning for a level playing field on plant import inspections has led to a possible change of approach that could save UK growers thousands of pounds.

Work by the NFU horticulture team and members resulted in a Defra consultation that included proposals for a flat rate of £27 for plant health border inspection fees, making it fairer for British nurseries importing plant materials for growing on.

THE PROBLEM

EU-finished plants destined for final retail sale are currently subject to physical and identity checks at a frequency of 5-10%, compared to 100% for plants imported for further growing at a nursery.

With most UK growers dependent on overseas supplies of some young plants for the foreseeable future, the NFU has said that puts them at a significant costs disadvantage.

A retailer buying a consignment of plants direct from an EU supplier might pay £18.23 in inspection fees, while a UK grower supplying the same product after growing it on may have paid £182.30 in fees for the original young plant, impacting their competitiveness.

After concerns were raised at the highest levels, Defra has floated a switch to a flat rate of £27 until July 2022, endorsed by the NFU, while it gathers data for a full review.

The NFU also underlined the need for a risk-based approach in a second consultation looking at the frequency of the checks. The team said the regime must recognise the biosecurity controls and expertise of UK commercial growers and that inspections must be based on the science around the probability of a pest or disease being found.

Read our responses to both consultations at NFUonline.com/hort

WASTE WINS NFU Energy and District Eating have launched a new project that aims to identify sites with waste heat and CO₂ across England and to pair them up with protected horticulture sites that could be powered by their ‘waste’ resources.

Find out more at nfuenergy.co.uk or by contacting mike.bond@nfuenergy.co.uk

NEW CO2 DEAL The UK’s leading CO₂ producer and commercial suppliers of the gas have struck a second deal that should ensure stocks remain available for a variety of UK businesses.

The deal will enable the CF Fertilisers plant in Cheshire to “The NFU looks forward continue to operate while to engaging with Defra on global energy prices remain the future resilience of of high, safeguarding supplies CO₂, which includes of its CO₂ by-product for confidence in the related uses including glasshouse fertiliser market.” cropping and salad packaging Tom Bradshaw in horticulture.

The closure of the company’s two UK sites in September due to high production costs led to the government supporting CF Fertiliser’s operating costs for three weeks, after significant disruption in several sectors reliant on CO₂.

An initial industry agreement followed, at no further cost to the taxpayer, but that was due to end on 31 January.

The latest deal between CO₂ suppliers and the fertiliser giant was revealed in a short government statement. Few details have been released, prompting concern in some quarters about the long-term implications for CO₂ costs.

NFU Vice-president Tom Bradshaw said: “We welcome the stability this new agreement brings to ensure UK food businesses have access to a continued supply of CO₂ needed for packing and processing.”

SPRUCE BUG CONTROLS Tighter plant health rules have been introduced to control the spread of the larger eight-toothed European spruce bark beetle.

Anyone wishing to fell susceptible spruce material, or any trees of the genus Picea A. Dietr over three metres in height, will now need to provide written notification to the Forestry Commission, if they are within a control area including parts of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, London, Greater London, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent and Essex.

The pest is considered a potential threat to the spruce-based timber industry and was first spotted in Kent woodland in 2018.

Read more at www.gov.uk/guidance

Spring 2022

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Labour

Relief for labour pains The government has committed to a seasonal worker visa scheme for the next three years – but the industry won’t be able to rest on its laurels

I

Words: Michael Barker

n a dark winter, finally some light. It would have been easy to miss one of the most significant announcements of the year, revealed quietly as it was on Christmas Eve, that Defra and the Home Office had approved the extension of the seasonal worker visa scheme until the end of 2024. An initiative that allows foreign visitors to work on UK horticultural farms for up to six months, it was the Christmas gift that growers had been hoping for.

In a major win for the NFU, which, along with other industry groups, has been gathering evidence and lobbying hard for a number of years, the government has made 30,000 visas available for the coming year, with the potential to increase this by a further 10,000 if required.

“We had a seasonal worker scheme for agriculture from the time of the Second World War and long before we joined Spring 2022

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Labour

THE ROAD TO

40,000 The NFU is gathering evidence on seasonal worker requirements to present to government in the event it is needed.

“Effectively, there are an additional 10,000 visas available so what we are doing right now is working with the industry to make sure the evidence is there, and demand is known, so the Home Office can then release those extra visas as soon as possible,” says Mr Abbey.

The HTA’s James Clark adds: “While the reference to a potential 10,000 extra visas for the whole scheme is encouraging, it is still uncertain and the details on what evidence is required to initiate this extra number is unknown. We’re aligned with the NFU to push for this change.”

the EU,” said Defra secretary George Eustice.

“We recognise that agriculture has unique and seasonal requirements for labour at harvest and have listened to our world-leading fresh produce industry to understand their needs.”

STRINGS

The government’s announcement did not, however, come without strings attached. In keeping with its view that horticulture could do more to recruit a domestic workforce, Mr Eustice caveated that the number of available visas will taper down from 2023, with the sector expected to improve pay and conditions. This means investing 10

“Effectively, there are an additional 10,000 visas available so what we are doing right now is working with the industry to make sure the evidence is there”

further in attracting UK workers through offering training, career options, wage increases and developing automated solutions. On the latter point, Defra said it will be offering further support to the sector and progressing the recommendations of the Automation Review.

ORNAMENTAL BOOST

As well as offering certainty for fresh produce growers, ornamental horticulture has been included within the visa scheme for the first time,

offering muchneeded relief to beleaguered growers who have already suffered disproportionately during the pandemic.

“We’ve been pushing to get ornamentals included from day one and to finally get that over the line is a big win,” says NFU chief horticulture adviser Lee Abbey. “It’s a success to get the three-year extension overall, as it offers a bit of certainty and stops the annual haggle over expanding the scheme.”

The Horticulture Trades Association (HTA) welcomed the addition

Spring 2022

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Labour

HORTICULTURE DAY RELEASE FOR PRISONERS A Sussex grower is recruiting prisoners as an innovative approach to addressing its labour needs.

Walberton Nursery has been putting up adverts in the local prison for a number of years, with inmates who are coming to the end of their terms encouraged to apply. They are then given a licence to work on the nursery as part of moves to reintegrate them back into society.

“We’ve had some really good experiences,” explains Camilla Penn, office manager at Walberton Nursery. “We’ve gone on to offer permanent employment to people when they’ve come to the end of their sentences. We find that they are generally really good workers and, of course, they have a vested interest in making it work. And we find they tend to want to stay [after release] too.”

The prisoners do the full range of work, from driving tractors to picking up trolleys, potting, trimming or any other general work around the nursery, and are paid exactly the same rates as other staff.

It’s just one of a number of approaches taken by Walberton Nursery to address its labour needs by recruiting locally. For the first time, the business put out a radio advert before Christmas, and it has also engaged with the refugee community to approach people who have been resettled in the Chichester area.

situation where costs are increased, productivity is negatively impacted and business growth hindered.”

ACCESSING LABOUR

of ornamentals to the scheme, but warned that the devil will be in the detail.

“We want to ensure tree producers do not lose out from the current six-month visa system and need to see more detail on what the government is considering around pay levels for seasonal workers and the potential impact this will have,” says director of policy and communications James Clark. “We need that clarity as soon as possible from government.

We must avoid a

Growers wanting to access the scheme can do so via four licensed operators – Concordia, Pro-Force, Fruitful Jobs and AG Recruitment & Management – but currently larger growers are not able to access any visas to recruit their own staff directly. Those needing seasonal labour are also urged to work with Job Centres to build up local

connections and bring in domestic staff, and the government has pulled together a number of online links to help businesses – not just in the fresh produce sector, but across the economy – to gain advice and support.

There are also joint industry and government initiatives taking place.

The NFU, for example, has been working with the Department of Work & Pensions to flag up jobs in the South West on Twitter using the hashtag #FarmingJobsCornwall, in a small but innovative example of using the flexibilities of social media, while Defra has stressed that governmentbacked schemes such as apprenticeships and T Levels offer a valuable part of the solution.

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Labour

MINIMUM WAGE PROPOSAL RAISES CONCERN

groundbreaking Robot Highways project at Clock House Farm in Kent on the site of NFU Weald chair Oli Pascall’s business. The initiative hopes to establish a 40% reduction in the need for seasonal labour and is seen as a flagship example of what could be possible in the coming years.

Automation is definitely coming down the track, but still has some way to go to achieve full commercial viability. Until then, it will play a small, but hopefully growing role in the overall labour mix.

More immediately, a Defra spokesperson pointed out that the government’s multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs is helping people from all backgrounds across the country to retrain, get “We already know into work

One aspect of the government’s announcement that has caused concern is the point that growers could be made to pay seasonal workers more than they would a domestic employee for the same job.

“Changes to the route, which has run since 2019, will force companies to pay those using the route a minimum salary to discourage poor conditions,” the government’s statement ran. “The changes follow a review of the seasonal workers pilot which found the reliance on foreign labour held down wages, that wages are not the disincentivised investment and barrier for recruitment; discouraged workers (both low unemployment in resident and non-resident) rural areas, the manual into these roles.” nature of jobs, and poor The implications of this are transport links are the yet to be determined, but the biggest challenges” NFU’s chief horticulture adviser Lee Abbey says there are fears the stipulation could create a level of discrimination given growers are already obliged to meet National Living Wage commitments.

“It is not yet clear what the rationale from the Home Office is for a minimum wage over and above the existing level,” he says. “We already know that wages are not the barrier for recruitment; low unemployment in rural areas, the manual nature of jobs, and poor transport links are the biggest challenges. We’ve seen examples of businesses putting their hourly rates up significantly to attract workers, but the short-term nature seasonal roles means they cannot attract workers who are looking for full-time permanent jobs closer to home.”

Responding to the question, a Defra spokesperson said that the government “will provide more information on the salary requirements for the seasonal worker visa route in due course”.

and develop the skills they need, with programmes including Kickstart, SWAPs, traineeships, skills bootcamps, as well as work coaches, helping pivot people into new and growing sectors.

Defra also encouraged growers to advertise roles through the DWP’s Find A Job website, where they can upload and manage their vacancies for free.

Will it all be enough? Defra insists the government is continuing to work extensively to understand employers’ needs through regular engagements with industry, but it continues to stress that companies should invest in home-grown talent.

The horticulture sector has some relief, for now, and while this is by no means the end of the story, the respite is extremely welcome. 2

Spring 2022

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Levy groups

WILL IT BE HEADS OR TAILS ON THE TOSS FOR FUTURE LEVIES? With no decisions made by government following the AHDB ballot, what might be next for horticulture levies?

T

Words: Hayley Campbell-Gibbons he AHDB Horticulture ballot result of February 2021 was clear, with 61% of growers voting to discontinue the levy. Yet, when viewed by sector, or amount of levy paid, the picture was less clear cut. Voting by crop or value wasn’t what the AHDB ballot was about, but it has become the focus of industry discussions about whether there could, or should, be a horticulture levy mechanism of some form for the industry in future.

THE CONSULTATION

Defra launched its consultation in November 2021 asking for views on proposed changes to the statutory levy, which would reform AHDB and respond to the outcome of the horticulture and potato sector ballots.

Key questions for growers and their representative bodies include: 14

‘Should the AHDB Order be amended to remove the statutory levy in the horticulture sector in Great Britain?’ and ‘Do you want the AHDB’s application service for emergency authorisations (EA) and extension of authorisation for minor use of pesticides (EAMU) for the horticulture sector in Great Britain to continue?’.

The consultation closed on 10 January 2022 and responses are currently being reviewed. Defra is likely to encounter a broad spectrum of views, with growers from every sector coming out on both sides of the levy fence.

DIVIDED OPINIONS NFU view

The NFU accepts the ending of the current levy but wants to see a retained mechanism so that individual crop sectors within the broad and diverse category of ‘horticulture’ can resurrect a mandate and create a levy in the future.

Responding to the Defra proposals, NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Ali Capper comments: “The NFU has always maintained that Defra should respect the results of the ballot for both the AHDB horticulture and potatoes levies and many growers will feel relieved that there is finally some clarity emerging.

“It is critical that those sectors that wish to continue to work together and jointly fund research programmes have an appropriate legal mechanism in place and are supported in doing so as soon as possible.”

She adds: “There are also unanswered questions over how different horticulture sectors could engage with each other on shared objectives, such as innovation and development of new technologies, if they want to do so and we will be asking Defra for clarity on this.”

The British Protected Ornamentals Association (BPOA)

The BPOA has lost confidence in AHDB, it says, due to funding non-relevant projects, poor value for money and lack

Spring 2022

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Levy groups crop protection and emergency use approvals.

Chief executive Jack Ward says: “If the industry wants this work to continue, then the industry will need to fund it.

“The issue for consideration is whether there is merit in asking Defra to retain its compulsory levy raising powers to allow the collection of funds from all growers to fund the cost of future crop protection work.

“On the question of the wider R&D work, the appetite to continue to invest in projects varies from crop to crop.”

The Growers’ Better Levy Group (GBLG)

of transparency. It concludes that AHDB is not a suitable organisation to run future research. On future options and alternative models, the BPOA has been involved in discussions at government and grower level, and has published a set of principles on future levy proposals, including: • Some growers would support a statutory levy if it was more accountable, with modern governance • A voluntary or subscription research model has the benefits of attracting match funding and tax allowances • The EAMU and EA service is vital to the industry and a statutory scheme, based on a ‘crop protection levy’, could be supported if all of arboriculture and horticulture contributed.

British Growers

British Growers held a meeting of its crop association chairs in November 2021 where the consensus was that ‘doing nothing’ is not the right solution.

One area where significant agreement was reached was on the question of

The GBLG, a voluntary coalition of 36 growers in the horticulture and potato sectors, believes that a collaborative approach to R&D, knowledge exchange and connecting researchers to growers is still needed.

The group has set out its vision for a future architecture, which includes the continuation of a small statutory levy to fund critical work and a larger voluntary levy for programmes of work

that growers should vote for, by sector, on a regular basis. Crucially, the group believes that the fund should not be raised or run by AHDB. Following the announcement of the Defra consultation on the future of the AHDB, the group’s chair, Phil Pearson, director at APS Group, says: “Our group believes that a new body should undertake critical work, ideally one that achieves collaboration across all horticultural crops so that we can achieve economies of scale.

“We do not believe that AHDB should lead this work because the organisation needs radical reform and will need new and meaningful grower governance in place that provides value for money and full cost transparency.

“For fairness, each sector of horticulture must be allowed to vote on proposals for the level of levy raised and how their levy will be spent.”

The group also advises that the legislation should be amended to further divide the field vegetables’ sector; previously the largest of all the sub-sectors covered by the legislation. 2

AHDB HORTICULTURE WIND-DOWN ACTIVITY AND COSTS

The AHDB Horticulture sector board has a revised remit to provide oversight of the wind-down process. Peter Judge, a soft fruit grower from Herefordshire, is the interim chair and attends the main AHDB board as an observer. This arrangement will be reviewed in March 2022, when the current levy period ends.

There are currently 51 horticulture projects running, reducing to 28 in 2022/23, 11 in 2023/24 and 3 in 2024/25 as research contracts come to an end. All the project findings will be made available to growers online.

For AHDB Horticulture, the cost of the wind-down is c.£10.6 million, which is broken down as: • £7.4 million on committed research contractual liabilities • £1.4 million to cover the costs of lease commitments and staff redundancies • £1.8 million, at Defra’s request, to fund a transitional EAMU/ emergency authorisation service in 2022/23 to enable time for the service to potentially be transferred to a third party.

AHDB Horticulture reserves at 31 March 2021 were £6.05 million (subject to audit). The reduced 2021/22 levy rate of 0.27% of adjusted sales figures (down from 0.45%) is expected to raise £4.55 million.

Spring 2022

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Peat plans

The peat predicament A government consultation into peat use could have huge significance for the commercial horticulture sector

By Michael Barker

G

rowers are being urged to feed into a government consultation that could have far-reaching consequences for the future of peat use.

Defra is calling for views on its proposal to end the retail sale of peat, such as in bagged compost at garden centres, in England and Wales by 2024, a move it says will protect peatlands and help prevent climate change.

Despite the cross-industry Growing Media Taskforce – whose key participants include the NFU – having an ambitious target to phase out peat in commercial horticulture by 2028-30, there are concerns the government may be looking to adopt an accelerated timetable there too, with the consultation proposing a commercial ban by 2028.

BEYOND THE GARDEN GATE NFU horticulture adviser Christine McDowell says that growers should be aware that professional horticulture is an important part of the consultation, which closes on 18 March.

“There is a call for evidence, which is a very clear signal from government that they realise it’s harder to take peat out of the commercial sector,” she says. “We need growers to help provide evidence to explain the reasons why.”

OUR CONSULTATION ASKS The NFU says government support is needed to ensure growers have time to adjust, as it does not believe the current targets are attainable without financial help or incentives to encourage the use and production of alternative growing media.

Where commercial alternatives are not available, or where the various benefits of peat are not easily replicated, there need to be exemptions for specialist areas of ornamental or edible crop production, the NFU believes.

It also wants to see government action in the shape of capital grants, knowledge exchange funding or other support for R&D. And, crucially, it

16

is calling for a level playing field so that imports meet the same standards as domestic production.

LACK OF ALTERNATIVES The Horticultural Trades Association backs the long-term removal of peat from horticulture, but says a ban or point-of-sale taxes will not solve the lack of suitable alternatives.

Twenty years ago, almost all the volume of growing media was made up of peat, a figure that had fallen to 41% by 2020.

“We expect this trajectory to accelerate as more and more retailers specify peat-free ranges and manufacturers bring more peat-free ranges onto the market,” says the association’s David Denny. “However, the lack of availability of alternatives such as wood fibre – which is in huge demand due to subsidies for biomass power stations as we transition away from coal and gas – makes it difficult to move as quickly as the industry would like.”

Growers, meanwhile, are doing their best to manage and innovate. Peter Sargeant, who runs G’s Growers’ salads and mushrooms business, says he is “very concerned” about peat reduction plans as there are no current alternative substrates that compare in terms of crop yield and quality.

Without them, he fears British growers could become uncompetitive, with production effectively exported to nations with different regulations.

Nevertheless, he stresses that G’s and the industry have been working with leading scientists for more than 10 years, evaluating organic materials and blends including compost, digestate, bark, wood fibre, coir and biochar, as well as developing systems that use less peat substrate, such as plant tape.

There is some way to go before those become viable options, however, so growers are being strongly advised to make their voices heard.

Contribute to the consultation at consult. defra.gov.uk/soils-and-peatlands/ endingtheretailsaleofpeatinhorticulture

Spring 2022

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Ali Capper

18

Spring 2022

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10/02/2022 13:37:02

Ali Capper

So long, farewell After six years, Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Ali Capper is stepping down.

Here she talks about the high and lows and what the future might hold for the sector

T

Words: Lorna Maybery o say it’s been an eventful six years for outgoing Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman Ali Capper, is somewhat of an understatement. Brexit, Covid, climate change, three Prime Ministers and numerous Home Secretaries have kept Mrs Capper and the rest of the board on their toes and have presented them with some unique challenges.

Mrs Capper is stepping down from her role at the end of this month and is reflecting on six years of hard, sometimes frustrating and often rewarding work in a sector that is, by its very nature as complex and diverse as the issues it is facing.

She is upbeat about her time as chairman, but realistic that there is still much to be done, and she is proud of the fact that horticulture has gained a much louder voice during her tenure.

“I think we were a very quiet sector before I took on the chairmanship,” she says. “Now at NFU Policy Board and Council we are seen through a different lens because I think I have done a fairly good job of articulating why the sector is important, what the key issues are, and in making sure we stay at the top of the NFU agenda.”

There have been many challenges for horticulture, but the main one has been labour and the politics that are never far away from this contentious issue, says Mrs Capper.

“When I took on the role in 2016, we had freedom of movement, and the board was concerned as the accession of the Eastern European countries into the EU meant they were becoming wealthier and unemployment was dropping, and people from these countries weren’t needing to seek work in the rest of Europe. We were

concerned about the drop-off in the number of EU workers that wanted to come here, so we were lobbying for the re-introductions of a SAWs scheme, which had been scrapped in 2013. Look at where we are now!

“There was a period where everyone thought the government would make the best of it and common sense would prevail on labour and immigration.

However, this turned out not to be the case because the government was reading the Referendum vote as one that meant they had to deliver less immigration, including seasonal labour. Even though it’s not

“ I have done a fairly good job of articulating why the sector is important and what the key issues are and making sure we stay at the top of the NFU agenda” immigration because people don’t come and stay, they come in and go home again, SAWs was getting wrapped up in all of that.”

Looking at the policies that matter to horticulture, immigration and labour have been front and centre. Describing current immigration policy as a ‘train crash’, Mrs Capper adds that she is very proud of the fact that we have a seasonal workers scheme, but there is frustration that it just doesn’t go far enough to help growers.

“I worked very hard to get that scheme. We are the only industry sector in the country that has its own scheme that brings people in, but it’s not what it needs to be.

For 2022 it involves 30,000, possibly another 10,000 workers when the sector needs 80,000 and, at best, we will get 10-15,000 from the EU –

there’s a massive shortfall.”

Another problem looming large is inflation, and the staggering rise in energy costs, which have left many growers reeling.

Mrs Capper says: “We are one of the few countries in the EU where the government hasn’t stepped in to do something about the energy costs.

Other countries have measures in place to protect citizens and businesses from a rise in energy costs. We’re getting very little.

“In our sector, energy is important for glasshouse growers and any crop that is stored, so potatoes, apples, root vegetables, and we are all bleeding cash at the moment. Energy costs have gone up anywhere between 70% and 150% and we can’t get that back from the market.”

Fertiliser is also something the board has been lobbying on to reduce costs and while there have been agreements reached on CO₂, which has a direct impact in the availability of fertiliser, there is nothing being done to support the pricing of fertiliser, so for growers, it’s a 150% increase year-on-year, says Mrs Capper.

Focusing on things that the government has an influence on, she continues: “I think that we have very wonky competition rules in this country, it’s very much about protecting the consumer, which I agree with, but there is nothing that protects small family farming businesses who are trying to negotiate with powerful, multi-billion-pound retailers.

“A simple thing that the government could do, as is the case in other European countries, is to prevent supermarkets from selling below the cost of production, but that’s not enshrined in law here, so nothing is stopping them and we have this constant race to the bottom.

Spring 2022

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Ali Capper

“The goalposts keep moving, which makes it very difficult when you are trying to run a business.

You have to constantly check rules, regulations, and try to gauge what your costs in the face of constant change and delays”

Ali speaking at NFU Conference 2020 “It’s very frustrating.”

Turning her attention to R&D and the demise of AHDB for horticulture and potatoes, Mrs Capper blames a lack of leadership from the government for an unsatisfactory result and follow-up after the ballot, which saw growers vote to put an end to the AHDB levy payments.

“I think the government should be ashamed of themselves. They decided to call a ballot and ask only one question; ‘do you want a statutory levy to continue or not?’. But of course, the sector was very dissatisfied with AHDB performance, so the answer they got back was “no”.

“It wasn’t about the statutory levy for many growers, it was about being fed up with AHDB, a quasi-government department controlled by Defra, and there has been no leadership, despite I can’t tell you how many consultations and meetings that groups of us have had with them.

“After the vote last year, there was supposed to be clear direction given by the government. If you read the statutory instrument, it is the Minister’s responsibility to decide on the outcome of the ballot. There was no announcement, and we went through the whole of last year with no clarity and finally got another consultation at the end of the year. I would describe that as a total lack of leadership and I am now sitting here at the beginning of February with no idea when we will get the results of this last

consultation – and in March our R&D ends.

“As chairman of British Apples and Pears, we are now trying to work out how we are going to do this ourselves.”

An area particularly impacted by Brexit has been ornamentals, where customs and border controls and plant health inspection fees have seen plenty of u-turns and changes to key dates.

“We Brexited in December 2020, but then everything got delayed a year.

Then, in 2021, things like border controls got delayed again. The goalposts keep moving, which makes it very difficult when you are trying to run a business. You have to constantly check rules, regulations, and try to gauge what your costs in the face of constant change and delays.”

It may have been a challenging few years, but Mrs Capper has nothing but praise for the Horticulture and Potatoes Board.

“Since taking on the chairman’s role, the only thing I’m not proud about, and hopefully we can fix this with the next board election, is the reduced number of women and diversity on the board, but we have increased the complexity of the businesses represented. And we still have a mix of big and small businesses.

“All the board members are very responsive. We have well-functioning channels of communication and if the NFU team needs feedback, they get excellent comments.

“The board members are very thoughtful. It’s easy to find people who will sit on a board, it’s quite hard to find people who will be very constructive and give you their time and make an excellent contribution.

We are lucky we have these types of people on our board.

Spring 2022

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Ali Capper

“In the year I took on the chairman’s role we did a lot of work around health and fruit and veg resulting in the production of a lovely report about why fruit and veg is so important – Fit for the Future. I am proud of that piece of work” “I think we are a very effective board that covers a lot of ground when we meet and the NFU team, together with the board, are really good at making things happen for members.”

HORTICULTURE WINS

The past six years may have been fraught with challenges, but it has not been all doom and gloom; there are plenty of positives that Mrs Capper will take away from the experience.

“In the year I took on the chairman’s role we did a lot of work around health and fruit and veg, resulting in the production of a lovely report about why fruit and veg is so important – Fit for the Future. I am proud of that piece of work,” she says.

“It emerged from the NFU before the Food Foundation developed its work such as the Veg Pledge, and a lot of the report informed the Food Foundation and set them on a path talking about healthy eating, the proportion of fruit and veg that was on the plate, the importance for producing it here and not just importing. We got other 22

stakeholders talking about things that were important to the board.

“I also think what we have achieved on labour is a minor miracle within a complex political context; the fact that we have a scheme, even though I’m not happy with permit numbers, and the fact that it is now a three year scheme.

It’s going to be tough to get it extended beyond 2024, but I’m sure my successor will be up to the challenge. I think the board and the NFU should be proud of that.

“I also think the board’s mantra to build very strong partnerships with our stakeholders in the sector has had a positive effect. We have a lot of different trade associations, all with slightly different agendas, and one of the things I think I have been quite instrumental in is putting the energy into making sure that we are all as cohesive as we can be when talking to government. If Defra gets multiple messages, they don’t know which way to turn.”

Another thing that Mrs Capper is encouraged by is a change in the way that journalists now cover issues around labour and immigration.

“Journalists now understand the issue in a way they absolutely did not when I first took on the role,” she says.

“In the first couple of years I spent hours on the phone to journalists just educating them, explaining why seasonal labour is different and why it’s the same all over the world and why people coming here and going home again is not immigration.

“The first questions journalists were asking six years ago were ‘why can’t you employ British? Why can’t you pay more?’. There were so many misconceptions and misunderstandings.

“I don’t get asked these questions anymore, because we have educated the press, so now a journalist is looking at the story and knows what the facts are before they ring. Instead, they are looking for the latest evidence. I am proud of that; we have done a huge job educating the media.”

On areas that could be improved moving forward, she adds: “Member communications can always be improved. But the redesigned Horticulture magazine has been a great improvement in helping to keep our members well informed.”

So, what is next for Mrs Capper as she steps down from her role of chairman? She will retain a seat on the Horticulture and Potatoes Board and will continue with her other roles such as chair of British Apples and Pears, but she won’t be resting on her laurels and plans to set her sights on net zero.

“I have been on the Net Zero Steering Committee for three years, immersed in net zero policy. That includes livestock and arable issues, along with understanding the science and I feel I really contributed to that – it was my idea to pull together a scientific panel, which has proved very effective – and, together with three other committee members, we have put forward detailed proposals on some subject areas I think we should be concentrating on.”

She concludes: “I have enjoyed chairing the board, the issues are so varied and so broad, but I am happy to step down now and let a new chairman take us into the future.” 2

Spring 2022

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10/02/2022 13:37:43

OHRG

The £40 billion ambition The NFU works with a number of different bodies to further the agenda of its members.

This issue, we spotlight the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group

C

Words: Michael Barker

reating a collaborative environment between key stakeholders across the ornamental horticulture sector and government is the goal for an industry group seeking to realise the sector’s huge potential.

Founded in 2014, the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group (OHRG) is a collection of interested parties that includes current chair the RHS, as well as the NFU, HTA, Arboricultural Association, BALI, and others. The group discusses key issues of importance to the industry and works with government to propose solutions and facilitate change.

Within the structure, several sub-committees, or working groups, put a special focus on areas such as education, employment, commercial issues and R&D, ensuring industry expertise is targeted in the right place.

Sue Biggs, chair of the OHRG and director general at the RHS, heads up the group’s engagement with the government to further the industry’s objectives.

“Activities paused at the start of the pandemic but resumed later in 2020 and the focus of the past year has been on producing an independent

green space, how outdoor space can economic report on the potential value lead to urban renewal and improved of the sector,” she explains. public health, and how the skills of the That independently-produced workforce can be developed to create report, ‘Growing a Green Economy: the conditions for a ‘green revolution’.

The Importance of ornamental One thing that’s clear is that this is horticulture and landscaping to the a crossroads at which the UK’, found that the industry industry can either has the potential to be “This action continue to be worth an extraordinary plan is all about hamstrung by issues £13 billion more than in working with the out of its control, or 2019 and support an government and can be assisted to extra 100,000 jobs. making sure the grow and meet the “It identifies how industry’s voice enormous potential barriers to growth can is represented” it holds. be unlocked through a Sue Biggs “Should key drivers of collaborative approach OHRG Chair market growth tend towards between government and favourable outcomes, then the industry, ensuring the sector can industry could deliver major economic develop the skills needed for its future growth in the coming decade and help workforce, lead on environmental to underwrite the societal and sustainability, and deliver benefits to environmental goals facing the UK in the nation’s health and society, as well the coming decade and beyond,” the as being at the forefront of new trade report states. A GDP footprint of opportunities. £41.8 billion for the UK’s ornamental Alongside that, a detailed action plan horticulture and landscaping entitled ‘Unlocking green growth’ was industries in 2030 might seem like a published by OHRG in September 2021 lofty goal, but it’s one based in reality at an event hosted by the All-Party and on sensible ambition.

Parliamentary Gardening and And the OHRG hopes its Horticulture Group. Outlining what collaborative and solutions-based policy changes are needed and how the approach will be what helps make it all industry and government can work happen. “This action plan is all about together, its proposals included working with the government and increasing UK plant and tree making sure the industry’s voice is production to build back greener and represented,” Ms Biggs says. establishing environmental-based “It’s about making sure the solutions, such as measures to improve ornamental horticulture and plant health and biosecurity, to meet landscaping sector is valued in the sustainability targets. same way sectors with a similar The action plan also sets out contribution to the UK’s economy, like other areas for future fisheries, are valued. It’s about making potential collaboration sure we have those relationships with with government, the relevant government departments including on how and teams. It’s about bringing ‘green trade’ can be everyone together, see what we agree increased, how on, and what we want to get the planners can government to agree on. We like to be better solution-focused.” 2 incorporate Spring 2022

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Net-zero

A growing ambition for carbon calculation Farmers and growers are working towards the goal of net-zero by 2040, but what does this mean in reality?

W

Words: Hayley Campbell-Gibbons ith climate dominating the policy agenda, the government promoting a ‘green economic recovery’ post-Covid, and a recent change in the UK’s emissions reduction target to 68% by 2030 compared to 1990, attention on sustainability is intensifying amongst policymakers, the supply chain and shareholders.

But, as the UK strives to rapidly decarbonise over the next decade, towards the goal of net-zero by 2050, and farmers and growers target a more ambitious 2040 timeline, what does this mean in practice for our sector?

CARBON CALCULATION IS COMING

Expectations farmers will have measured their businesses’ greenhouse gas emissions is growing, and if you haven’t already delved into the world of carbon measurement, chances are you soon will. New legislation means that retailers, processors and big 26

brands are now required to report on the carbon emissions for their own business operations, and that of their supply chains; so-called ‘Scope 3’ (explained below).

On top of that, hot off the heels of COP26 in Glasgow, supermarkets have all now set or upwardly revised their headline net-zero commitments.

Reducing emissions from agriculture

and horticulture falls squarely within those ambitions. As such, suppliers are increasingly being asked to provide emissions data to their customers, with the livestock sectors under the initial spotlight.

WHERE TO START?

Carbon footprinting isn’t new by any stretch, but it’s a crowded and

WHAT TO MEASURE? There are two ways of estimating greenhouse gas emissions (‘carbon footprint’) for agricultural production:

1

The footprint of the entire farm business: This can be useful to identify the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as on-farm carbon storage, the use/generation of renewables and other gains. A whole-farm carbon footprint may highlight areas for improvement, and can be used again later to assess progress if farm practices are changed.

2

The footprint of the major food commodity being produced, in emissions per unit of production (e.g. CO₂e per kilogram or litre). This enables benchmarking within supply chains and against national or international comparators. Again, it may highlight major factors contributing to the footprint of a product and potential improvements that could be made. Product foot printing is generally favoured by customers who want to measure the emissions associated with the product they buy in.

Spring 2022

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Net-zero replacing and building on its previous Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) scheme.

SECR expands mandatory carbon reporting to around 11,900 companies and involves three ‘scopes’ of reporting. Scope 1 includes The NFU has direct GHG emissions such called for a review of as heating, refrigeration the carbon calculators and transport; Scope 2 refers to indirect emissions currently on the market to including energy inject consistency, and help purchased; and Scope 3 farmers navigate through incorporates all emissions the tools available to in a company’s value make the right choice chain that they do not own for their business or control.

The introduction of Scope 3 emissions reporting aims to In a sector such as encourage horticulture, where big companies more than 70% of all to essentially become production is sold to responsible for major retailers, their entire supply Scope 3 will likely affect chain emissions and all businesses incentivises them to confused landscape. pressurise suppliers At the last count to make progress on there were more than 60 decarbonisation efforts. carbon calculators on the The mandatory element of SECR market. It’s safe to say that some are reporting applies to all companies better than others, with certain tools that meet the criteria of an annual being more suited to the livestock energy consumption of more than sector than horticultural crops. The 40,000kWh and at least two of calculators range in sophistication, the following: data quality, as well as fundamental • 250+ employees factors such as the handling of any • £36m+ annual turnover sequestered carbon on the farm.

• £18m+ annual balance sheet total.

Many growers understandably struggle to know where to start and can That definition encompasses all set off on the wrong foot using a tool supermarkets and food chain that might not be the best suited to companies. Therefore, in a sector their system, or the most user-friendly. such as horticulture, where more than The NFU has called for a review of 70% of all production is sold to major the carbon calculators currently on the retailers, Scope 3 will likely affect all market to inject consistency, and help businesses. Larger fresh produce farmers navigate through the tools companies that meet the SECR criteria available to make the right choice for directly will already be doing their their business. own reporting and should have already started work on their own INTRODUCING SCOPE 3 Scope 3 measurements.

There has been a game-changer in policy terms when it comes to carbon reporting. In 2019, the UK Government RETAIL RACE TO NET-ZERO launched a new Streamlined Energy Supermarkets have quickly come to and Carbon Reporting (SECR) policy, learn that Scope 3 emissions account

for the majority of their overall carbon footprint, over 90% in some cases.

Agriculture, in particular, has been identified as a major contributor and reducing emissions from suppliers is a top sustainability goal for supermarkets. The retail race to net-zero depends on it.

Predictably, it’s the livestock and dairy sectors where efforts have initially centred, because of the level of reduction to find. But that doesn’t mean the fresh produce and ornamental sectors are going unnoticed. Currently, the requirement for growers to report carbon emissions is patchy, but a readthrough of the retailers’ sustainability plans reveals that it’s coming. Every major retailer has set GHG emissions reduction targets for their own operations and supply chain.

WIN-WIN, SO WHY WAIT?

The expectation is for carbon measurement and reduction to become mainstream across all retailers and processors in the years ahead, and government policy is following suit. There are already several products on the market using ‘zero-carbon’ status to add value to a brand and provide a point of difference to environmentallyconscious consumers.

Furthermore, talk of ‘carbon farming’ in policy circles is big.

Certification methods are currently being researched that would enable farm businesses to sell off their carbon credits to sectors of industry with high emissions that cannot easily be reduced, meaning that agriculture and horticulture may, in future, be rewarded for carbon capture.

Generally speaking, however, measuring your carbon footprint doesn’t have to be part of any net-zero or carbon credit trading ambitions. It’s quite simply an exercise in measuring how much carbon your farm or product emits and, where possible, trying to reduce that figure through efficiency savings and higher productivity. After all, sustainability in farming is all about finding a win-win for the bottom line and the environment. 2 Spring 2022

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10/02/2022 13:38:11

Ornamentals

Tributes and change at BPOA A new chairman, a proposed name change and tributes to a gardening legend were among the highlights at a busy BPOA AGM

T

Words: Michael Barker

ributes have been paid to eminent horticultural writer and broadcaster Peter Seabrook, who died in January aged 86.

Mr Seabrook, a former BBC Gardeners’ World presenter, newspaper columnist and author who also regularly wrote for horticulture trade publications, was regarded as a high-profile ally of the industry who argued against banning peat in commercial production.

HONOUR

At the British Protected Ornamentals Association’s AGM on 20 January, the group’s Trumpet Blower award was presented to his son Roger in recognition of Peter’s longstanding work supporting growers and fighting for industry causes.

“My father would have been extremely happy to have received this accolade,” Roger said. “He was absolutely passionate about everything you [growers] work on and stand for. I know he appreciated so much working with you and the individual relationships he had.”

Elsewhere during a busy AGM, Derek Jarman was elected chair following the end of James Alcaraz’s term, with Simon Crawford as deputy chair. Mr Jarman is a director at Hayloft Plants, a multi-channel garden plants supplier based in Worcestershire (see Meet the Grower, P38), while Mr Crawford runs Burpee Europe.

In his final report as chair, Mr Alcaraz noted that the need for R&D is greater than ever, particularly with the planned closure of AHDB Horticulture. Brookhouse Nurseries’ Robin Squance outlined proposals to divide the technical committee into sub groups, offering greater participation for members and making it more approachable for growers. “It’s a chance for everyone in the whole chain to get involved, including retailers and suppliers,” he explained.

Giving the NFU update, horticulture adviser Christine McDowell underlined the work the organisation put in to secure the ornamental sector’s inclusion within the seasonal workers’ visa scheme, and stressed the importance New BPOA chair of growers supporting the Derek Jarman latest Defra plant health inspection fee proposals (see news, P7), the consultation for which has now closed.

“It’s not just about cost, it’s about having a better inspection regime,” stressed Martin Emmett, of Tristram Plants. “It’s about a pathway to a better biosecurity regime, a dynamic regime.

The grower voice has to speak for itself as loud as possible.”

In other developments, the BPOA website is being updated to make it more useful to members, with Mr Squance describing it as a “window shop onto what the BPOA can and can’t do”.

A preliminary discussion was also held over renaming the organisation, with Mr Alcaraz stating the ambition is to expand the association to incorporate as many parts of the industry as possible. Horticultural consultant Chris Need described the current name as “a terrible mouthful” and proposed that a shorter alternative should be found. “It’s about marketing, influence and lobbying. It needs to convey the importance of what we do,” he added.

The committee agreed growers and the wider industry should be canvassed for their opinions, and taking the issue forward is expected to be one of Mr Jarman’s first tasks as the new chair. 2 For more information about the BPOA, visit: britishornamentals.org

Spring 2022

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Trade

CASE STUDY

Trade opportunities for British growers in the Gulf Trade opportunities are opening up around the world.

Here, Horticulture looks at the situation in the Gulf

T

Words: Hayley Campbell-Gibbons he NFU sees opportunities for UK producers in a future Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In its response to the latest Department of International Trade (DIT) consultation on future trade negotiations, the NFU highlights the already strong reputation and recognition of ‘brand Britain’ in the Gulf region. And, with certain changes to current tariff and non-tariff barriers to export, it predicts potential export growth for sustainable, high-quality UK produce.

THE MARKET:

The Gulf region currently imports 90% of the food it consumes, with low water availability, an arid climate and a shortage of arable land presenting huge challenges for domestic production.

Dairy, poultry and protected horticulture production is increasing domestically, but from a very low base.

It will always be reliant on imports and is an attractive prospective market for the UK. Within the GCC, Saudi Arabia is the major consumer and importer of fruit and vegetables, followed by the UAE. The high prevalence of obesity and

30

CROP

VOLUME (t)

VALUE (£)

Seed potatoes

5,400

2,500,000

Apples

1,000

1,000,000

Tomatoes

381

886,000

Berries

102

430,000

Onions

677

369,000

James Simpson is managing director at Adrian Scripps Ltd, one of the UK’s largest fruit growers.

What are you exporting?

Apples, packed in 18kg cardboard cartons for fresh consumption. They are supplied directly to multiple retailers or wholesale markets.

diabetes in Saudi Arabia has resulted in the Saudi government implementing several health and wellness campaigns, which is bolstering demand for fresh fruits and vegetables. Amongst the main fresh produce crops consumed in Saudi Arabia are tomatoes, aubergine, cabbage and cucumber.

Where are your big markets?

Across the Middle East – to the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Dubai, Egypt. The UAE is probably the largest receiver and the value for the whole Middle East annually is in excess of £750,000.

HORTICULTURE PROFILE:

Where do you see opportunities for growth?

We will be looking to the Far East and regions where there is an understanding of the value of UK produce and support for quality.

We believe there is a loyalty to British provenance.

In 2020, the UK exported approximately 7,500 tonnes of produce to the GCC (see table) with a reputation for being expensive, but good quality.

The volume of seed potatoes being exported to the GCC is growing year on year, with Saudi Arabia being the main recipient. UK seed potatoes are well regarded for their high health status and are demanded all over the world. While the UK is banned from exporting seed potatoes to the EU, the promotion of UK product abroad is vital.

The GCC market is highly competitive and, with every large fresh produce-exporting country accessing it, the UK’s share of the market is small by comparison. The majority of fresh produce is air-freighted into the region and while there are no tariff barriers applied to UK fruit and vegetable imports, non-tariff barriers such as transport time, customs and border checks are a limiting factor for UK exports of perishable fresh produce.

The NFU sees FTA as a prime opportunity to push for transparent, uniform import procedures and requirements and has urged UK negotiators to focus on reducing non-tariff barriers, including expediting border procedures to allow perishables a faster route to market. 2

What are the main challenges?

Currency fluctuations and shipping costs, generally. More specifically phytosanitary restrictions, some historical, preventing access to potential markets. The UK is yet to agree protocols to overcome some requirements, while other European nations have had agreements in place for years.

How important are exports?

It is approximately 5% of our turnover. While we would prefer to supply the product directly into UK retailers or the home market, it is very difficult for the size profile of apples we export.

What support would you ask of the government on exports?

Help opening new markets, the barriers to which are essentially technical, as mentioned above.

Spring 2022

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10/02/2022 13:38:20

Energy costs

Steep gas price rises have made this a winter to forget for many growers, who are looking for long-term solutions to energy supply

H

Words: Michael Barker

eadlines about impending energy price rises, combined with the failure of a succession of small gas and electricity suppliers, have made gruesome reading for consumers – but what if your business relies on predictable energy supplies to feed the nation?

That’s the situation facing Britain’s growers as they’ve struggled to absorb months of energy price rises in a bruising winter punctuated by a succession of challenges.

To put the current situation into context, last season the gas price was around 35-60p per therm, but as of the end of January it was sitting at £2.15 per therm. That’s by no means the worst of it either – the price has actually topped £4 per therm during the worst moments of the past few months, leading to eye-watering bills for producers across the country.

32

PLANTING PLANS IN PIECES Glasshouse growers have been particularly hard hit, and as a direct result of the winter prices, more than half of all Lea Valley growers and 90% of cucumber growers are delaying their planting programme from January until the end of March, according to Lee Stiles, secretary at the Lea Valley Growers Association.

He describes the mood as “gloomy”, with some growers having seen the loss of supply contracts that have been in place for decades as retailers switched to overseas imports.

And it’s not just glasshouse growers who are feeling the pinch. Julian Marks, group managing director at Sussex vegetable grower Barfoots, says that while the company’s main site is self-sufficient for most of the year and sells surplus from its green factory waste back to the National Grid, its other site came out of its energy

contract in October at the wrong time.

“Even getting energy companies to quote any fixed prices was almost impossible, so it was a very difficult winter,” he explains.

Barfoots – already a leader in green production – continues to focus on being as energy efficient as possible through technologies such as LED lights, and is exploring extensive solar options, he adds. Such moves are proving to be an essential tool to keep costs down for those producers who have been able to invest.

Smaller growers – faced with no choice but to delay or reduce the growing season from 10 to fewer than six months – are having to think outside the box to find their own solutions.

In the Lea Valley, some are looking to alternative markets and producing niche items such as wok cucumbers for the wholesale market, as well as

Spring 2022

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Energy costs economic, environmental, and social opportunities associated with using sources of waste heat and carbon dioxide for protected horticulture in England. Crucially, it wants to simultaneously improve productivity and reduce carbon emissions associated with industrial production while also showcasing the opportunities that can be made from waste production.

“This service could provide growers with ideal “Even getting opportunities to source energy companies local, sustainable, and to quote any fixed reliable alternatives to prices was almost gas, at a time when impossible... farmers are really feeling it was a very the effects of supply chain difficult winter” issues and the pressure of decarbonising,” says NFU Energy director Jon Swain.

servicing smaller orders for farmers’ markets and box schemes.

Larger growers have been able to invest in renewable energy and enjoy the benefit of Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments, or have taken tenancies on new-build glasshouse projects located next to waste heat or renewable heat facilities.

That has helped, but regardless, everybody is feeling the pinch.

THE SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS: WASTE NOT, WANT NOT? While global affairs might be the root cause of the most recent price volatility, it underlines the need to find longer-term solutions to reduce exposure to risk.

To that end, in December NFU Energy and District Eating announced a project, part-funded by Innovate UK, which aims to reduce CO2 emissions by enabling growers to access stable and lower-cost heat. Running for 14 months, the project aims to assess the

DIALING DOWN COSTS Aside from the new project, NFU Energy has a raft of advice on its website covering everything from contracts and auditing to energy management and the wide range of renewable options available.

The consultancy is working on a number of current projects, including helping a client understand the UK market for aneorobic digestion, a feasibility study for electric vehicles on a college farm in Lancashire, and upskilling the industry through dedicated renewable energy training.

Mr Swain says steps that growers can take to mitigate the pressure of rising costs include analysing the need for energy consumption in all aspects of the business, making sure they have taken advantage of cost savings under the Climate Change Levy Discount Scheme – for which protected horticulture is an eligible sector – and examining the opportunities to switch to lower-cost, greener energy sources.

Biomass boilers, heat pumps and solar PV are all options worth exploring, he adds.

Alternative energies are undoubtedly a part of the solution, but in the short term there’s also no avoiding the fact that suppliers need to see better returns from their customers. “Farmgate prices

HYDROGEN HOPE Hydrogen could play a valuable role in the future farming landscape as growers seek low-carbon alternatives in the race to net zero.

There is a growing movement behind hydrogen as a climatefriendly fuel of the future, and, according to Chris Jackson, chief executive of Protium Green Solutions and former chair of the Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Association, wide-ranging opportunities.

He believes a green hydrogen concept could deliver on and off-farm decarbonisation solutions to a range of processes, including hydrogen-powered tractors, heating and cooling applications, production of fertilisers, and post-harvest storage.

Green hydrogen production makes use of renewable power sources such as wind and solar and stores excess energy in a fuel cell for later use. While stressing hydrogen is not a silver bullet solution to the nation’s energy needs, Mr Jackson says it has the potential to play a major role in the overall mix.

have got to go up, and they are going up, but they are just not going up fast enough to recover the inflation we are seeing,” says Mr Marks.

“If you look at every aspect of what we [growers] do, whether it’s nitrogen or pesticides, everything is under massive inflationary pressure and recovering it from retailers is important. It will wash through, but there’s always a time lag and it’s difficult in the competitive market we are in to achieve that.” 2 Find out about NFU Energy’s suite of services and advice at nfuenergy.co.uk Spring 2022

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AHDB potatoes

LEVY FUNDS

One year on from the potatoes ballot, where 66% of respondents voted to discontinue the levy, details have emerged on AHDB’s wind-down plans

M

Words: Hayley Campbell-Gibbons

inisters have proposed to respect the outcome of the ballots held on AHDB horticulture and potatoes in Great Britain by ending the statutory levies in these two sectors from March 2022.

AHDB’s wind-down of activity in the potato sector is well under way. The total cost of all wind-down liabilities was calculated at c. £7.4 million.

However, sector reserves at 31 March 2021 were only £1.2 million. As such, potato growers are still subject to a full levy payment in 2021/22, which will raise £5.6 million towards AHDB Potatoes’ operational liabilities and the costs of stopping levy supported activities. The estimated shortfall of

CONTRACTS END IN 2023 • • • •

Blight IPM - Fungicide Resistance Management Potato variety database Monitoring and managing insecticide resistance Applications of machine learning to precision potato blackleg prediction

CONTRACTS END IN 2024 • •

34

Cross sector - insecticide resistance management Metabolic markers to mechanism of growth suppression: understanding the molecular physiology of sprouting in potatoes

£600,000 between the total winddown budget and final levy has been underwritten by Defra.

Many growers have questioned why potato reserves were so low, given that when the British Potato Council (BPC) moved over to AHDB in 2008/9 reserves stood at more than £4 million.

On its website, AHDB explains that the sector has run an annual deficit budget for three years, and that the sector reserve levels were never set at a level to fund a wind-down situation.

Furthermore, when BPC operations moved from Oxford to Stoneleigh, in Warwickshire, there were a number of exceptional reorganisation costs involved which were funded through the formerly high reserve pot. Previous AHDB boards also took a view that farmers would not want more than a small contingency reserve to be held.

While most of the work in potatoes has now stopped, several contracts set to end in 2023/24 are hoping to be transferred over to another provider, with Ministerial agreement.

Any expressions of interest from companies, organisations or industry groups in taking on existing work or packages of stopped work should be registered via email to AHDB. NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair, Ali Capper says: “Elements such as research and development and work on plant protection products, currently delivered by AHDB Potatoes, will remain crucial for businesses, so it is important there is clarity on the future as soon as possible.

“This will ensure businesses are able to prepare how they will work on these areas and who they will work with.”

Levy funds collected in 2021, together with sector reserves, will be used to cover the costs of winding-down all levy-payer activity in the potato sector: • to see out existing contractual liabilities including research programmes, so the value of levy already invested is not lost (£4 million); • to see out existing contractual liabilities for potato storage programmes, so the value of levy already invested is not lost (£0.6 million); • to cover the costs of lease commitments and staff redundancies, excluding Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research facility (£1.7 million); • to cover the costs and asset write-downs of closing Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research facility, including staff redundancies and after site sale proceeds (£1.1 million).

Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research facility was on the market for £1.85m.

The auction for the sale of the site has now closed, and bids are being assessed. AHDB used a more prudent sales estimate than the guide price in its wind-down calculations. Depending on the final figure achieved, any excess funds will be held for up to six-years to fund any residual potato liabilities which may arise. After this time, any funds remaining will be discussed with industry and government.

At AHDB HQ, many redundant potatoes staff are currently working out their contractual notice periods, carrying out final work to ensure levy payers can continue to access the historic information.

The role and remit of the potato sector board has been slimmed down to oversee the wind-down process.

Alison Levett remains as interim chair and attends the main AHDB board as an observer. This arrangement will be reviewed in March 2022. 2

Spring 2022

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Potatoes

T

Storage success

Horticulture looks at this year’s post-CIPC potato sprout suppression options

he NFU Potato Forum is highlighting the best use of this year’s sprout suppression options, with the widely-used CIPC now consigned to the past and an approval application for 1,4-dimethylnaphthalen (DMN) still bogged down in the regulatory process.

The Forum’s Edward Backhouse, a farmer and member of the National Association of Agricultural Contractors’ Applicators Group, says he has seen good performance from both spearmint oil product Biox-M and the latest addition to the toolbox, the orange oil-based Argos.

LEARNING CURVE

He says growers could get the best out of these ‘hot fogging’ products with careful store management, regular checks for reapplication requirements, by ensuring good airflow and shed sealing, and through store design that optimises

vapour distribution. Timing and rates were key, with Biox-M manufacturer Juno (Plant Protection) suggesting a first application before sprouting is visible at 90ml/tonnes, followed by up to ten repeat applications at 30ml/t and a minimum of 21-day intervals.

Argos can be applied as soon as sprouts are seen, and treatment can be repeated up to nine times in a season at a maximum permitted dose of 100ml/t.

GOOD RESULTS

Mr Backhouse adds: “We’ve had good results with mint oil over the past three years and orange oil has successfully addressed early sprouting too this year.

“Both have certainly been effective, but there’s a learning curve, especially after using CIPC for so long.

“We’ve found that potatoes need to have opened their eyes, but to have no more than 5mm of chit on them, and that getting good crop penetration through airflow in the shed is crucial.

“Because less product is generally being used than in the days of CIPC,

DMN FRUSTRATION At the time of writing, a long-delayed approval application for DMN remained within the Chemicals Regulation Division.

Work has been going on for more than six years to achieve a green light for the active, used by more than 20 EU countries and permissible within a residue level on imports into the UK. An emergency authorisation (EA) was granted last year, but with sign-off anticipated back in October, no further EA was made for 2022.

NFU Potato Forum Chair Alex Godfrey says: “It’s a source of huge frustration to British potato growers that DMN has still not been authorised and the fact that it’s perfectly legal to import potatoes for consumption in Britain that have been treated just rubs salt into the wound.

“However, while we are missing what would be a very useful tool, there are a range of other options. On my farm, growing potatoes for pre-pack, we have used maleic hydrazide, ethylene and spearmint oil to good effect. We choose what is likely to work best for the store and crop in question, and its end market. We haven’t yet used orange oil, but it’s another option to consider.”

it’s about taking more care to ensure best results, but an applicators group member should have the expertise to get it right and to recommend the right product for the right shed.”

Mr Backhouse says that even if DMN gets its long-awaited approval, the future will see a range of products used to meet business needs, particularly where end users such as the chipping market require more frequent withdrawals from store.

Another option for some end markets is ethylene. While attractive on cost, some concerns have been raised around fry colour, particularly for crisping varieties, and the advice from the AHDB is to build up from low concentrations.

HELPING HAND

AHDB studies at the Sutton Bridge facility have suggested that an in-field application of maleic hydrazide can boost the impact of all three products, a consideration relevant to future store crops. Mr Backhouse says that high water volume and a weather window of at least 12, and preferably 24 hours’ drying time was the recipe for best results there.

Timing is again also important, with the active needing to go on about a month before senescence, while the smallest tubers are about 25mm in diameter.

Juno (Plant Protection) has announced that former Sutton Bridge chief Adrian Cunnington will be working with its team. He will support growers, store-keepers, agronomists and foggers with the Biox-M (spearmint) product, with Mr Cunningham’s expertise in air movement within potato stores of particular relevance.

Spring 2022

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10/02/2022 13:38:40

Potatoes

POTATO FORUM Seed trade, sprout suppression and R&D; forum seeks fresh views

Alex Godfrey Potato Forum chairman As we head into spring, many of us will be gearing up to start planting, or will have started already.

For some of us, this will be the first year planting without European-sourced seed, which may have caused an extra headache we could have done without, but I hope you have all managed to source the seed you need.

Denmark has formally applied to restart seed exports to the UK, the first country to use the process announced by Defra last summer. There’s a lot of questions around how this application will progress, and no indication of timescales, but other countries will surely be watching closely to see how the application goes and whether they should follow.

However, these individual country applications cannot be seen as a long-term solution, and shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for fully restoring seed trade in both directions.

With many other loose ends from Brexit now dealt with, it is essential we now see some real progress on this to take us away from the current stalemate.

Sprout suppression is still high on the agenda, with frustratingly little news on the ongoing DMN application.

There has been some encouraging feedback on the alternative sprout suppressants we now have available, but there is clearly a learning curve when it comes to getting the best out of these products. We also have to consider the rising costs of storage, not just of sprout suppressants themselves, but also of escalating energy costs and having to keep stores cool.

AHDB Potatoes has fully wound down now, with the outcome of the sale of Sutton Bridge one of the last pieces outstanding.

Some of the functions, such as aphid monitoring, or Grow Your Own Potatoes, have found new homes, but there are still some gaps that industry would like to address. The fullness of time will highlight which gaps are most in need of filling, and some of you will have seen proposals from GB Potatoes which may provide some of these functions going forward.

With all current pressures, let’s hope that we all have a trouble-free planting and the weather is kind to us.

Rupert Weaver Forum secretariat The NFU Potato Forum provides the vital function of bridging the gap between potato growers and NFU policy makers, by feeding in directly to the main NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board and shaping and influencing all policy matters relating to potatoes.

Covid and Brexit have ensured that we have had no shortage of issues to deal with, and although many of them have been shared across the agricultural sector, there have been potato-specific issues too, whether to do with market impacts, frequency of inspections, or the ongoing seed potato trade stalemate.

Even then, the potato sector can’t always be looked at as a whole, with many issues affecting specific potato sectors in very different ways.

Seed virus has been a complex area that the forum has worked on, and although environmental conditions have been in our favour lately, it does appear that the industry is much better equipped now to stay on top of this. It would be impossible not to mention the ongoing work with sprout suppressants and other plant protection products, where the potato sector seems to have been disproportionately impacted by the large number of products lost, and difficulties establishing access to alternatives.

We may hopefully be moving away from Brexit and Covid turmoil, but I don’t think we’ll be getting away from the challenge of cost inflation any time soon, and it won’t be a surprise that it’s a focus of our horticulture and potatoes session at NFU Conference this year. Again, this isn’t a challenge unique to potato growers, but there will be specific issues, such as the cost of running potato stores, that the forum will have to consider. We’ll also need to look at how the sector adapts to some of the voids left by AHDB Potatoes.

For the forum to function effectively, it is dependent on having good sector and regional representation. For this reason, we run an appointments process each spring to ensure we keep fresh perspectives.

If you’re interested in joining, please keep an eye out for further information or get in touch directly. Even if you don’t feel ready to join, there will still be opportunities to join as a guest throughout the year.

Spring 2022

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10/02/2022 13:38:59

Meet the grower

Good nursery times The past couple of years have been trying for many in the ornamentals sector, but Hayloft Plants in Worcestershire has risen to the challenge and is looking to the future, says MD Derek Jarman Words by: Lorna Maybery Photos by: John Cottle What do you do?

We are a multi-channel retailer of garden plants and a retailer of sundries – we source plants from around the UK and Europe, grow them on, then sell direct to the public through mail order – and we also do a small amount of growing.

What types of plants do you sell?

We focus on perennials – we have a lot of hellebores, hardy geraniums, penstemons, “The government salvias, azaleas, that type is causing us lots of plant. We have a of problems currently strapline on our brochure – ‘Rare and making life Unusual Exciting’ – so in the region of difficult in terms we do look for the £200 per unit. A of plant health and more unusual plants. unit can be one plant moving plants When I say unusual, I or a complete lorry across borders” mean plants that may be load. When you move a well-known, but a variety lorry load, its fine but when that is a bit different; bigger you are sending one plant to flowers, a special colour or Mrs Smith who happens to reside in different habitat.

Benidorm, then her £20 plant becomes rather expensive, so we have had to stop What impact has Brexit had on supplying our customers in Europe. your business?

We thought Brexit was going to be a Has Brexit meant a rise in costs? major problem for us and it was. The Bringing product in is more expensive government is causing us lots of and in my view the reason our costs problems currently and making life are rising is because of Brexit. We difficult in terms of plant health and source about half our plants in the UK moving plants across borders. We have and half from Europe. Our main a customer base across Europe, which suppliers are Holland, Germany, we have built up over the past 20 years, Belgium, France and, to a lesser extent, but now we have left the EU we need a Italy and Spain. For example, when we phytosanitary certificate to move a bring product in from Europe there is plant across the border, which is a cost a £500 plant health charge, again per 38

unit. So, if we bring in £500 of product, we have £500 of costs on top. We now bring in a minimum of £5,000 of product. We used to have deliveries little and often, but now, to save costs, we bring in bigger loads less often. It means we get a lot of product in one go, which isn’t ideal, but at least we can cope with this.

How has the business coped with Covid during the past two years?

We got a 200,000 euro grant from the RPA and built ourselves a plant packing glasshouse and got it finished two weeks before the lockdown. Prior to the pandemic, sales were dropping when they should have been rising.

Then the government locked down the garden centres and retail nurseries, but left the online multi-channel businesses like ours. In normal times, we have about a tenth of the market

Spring 2022

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Meet the grower

FACT FILE The grower: Hayloft Plants Location: Pensham, nr Pershore, Worcestershire Crop: Ornamentals Representing the business: Yvonne and Derek Jarman The business: Hayloft is a nursery and retailer of garden plants, specialising in more unusual perennials and shrubs. The business was the brainchild of Yvonne Jarman, who began her career as a fashion buyer travelling the world buying and styling new shoes.

Her husband, Derek, in the meantime was running a company supplying plants to garden centres. When Yvonne gave up work to have children, she wanted something to do that would work around childcare and a suggestion that she start selling a few plants in the post seemed like a good one.

Yvonne explains: “As I gained a bit more experience, I realised there are a lot of similarities between fashion and plants. There is the seasonal aspect, so I compare sandals to bedding plants, very much affected by the weather and you can either have too little stock or a lot of stock. Colour is another similarity – plants have their colour fashion cycles in the same way as shoes and clothes.

Go back 10 years and it was lilacs and pastels that people wanted in their gardens and now everyone wants the strong colours, oranges, reds and purples.

“In the early days it was a case of taking the phone call, typing the label, going to the nursery, packing the plant, going to the post office and handing the parcels out. After a while I realised I needed someone else to answer the phone and the car boot wasn’t big enough, so it just evolved.”

The business grew gently and after a good year in 2001, Yvonne bought their current site Manor Farm. In 2003, Yvonne and her team moved into the large, purpose-built offices and husband, Derek, joined the business.

Today, they employ 75 staff, which rises to 125 in the high season of January to June. They run three sites, which will shortly become a single site where a new glasshouse has been built and a large warehouse is almost finished, which will house the offices and packhouse.

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Meet the grower are would you put your daughter in there for six months, or would you put yourself in there for six months? If you say yes to those two questions, then you have good accommodation. We try and make sure we look after our staff and then they look after us and will want to come back.

How have you embraced renewable energy?

We have invested quite heavily on the site in renewable energy. We have 50kw of solar panels on the office building, we have 150kw of solar panels on the new shed, and we have 87kw ground-source heat pump, which is taking energy out of the field beneath it – there are 3 miles (4.5km) of pipes under the field. It puts heat across the packing area. It does use a little bit of electricity, but that comes from the solar panels on the roof.

We have six electric vehicle chargers. We only have a couple of people with “I went down to electric vehicles, but I Derek and Yvonne Jarman and, above right, the new Westminster for a glasshouse looks across to the Malvern Hills Select Parliamentary know this will Hearing in late October gradually build up.

We also recycle illustration of this is and suddenly we had 100% of the and presented the all our water, so the daffodil crop, market, so our sales went through the case for ornamentals water that falls on where last year, 25% roof. Essentially, during that time, as to why we need the glasshouses goes was wasted because demand from a lockdown public meant seasonal labour” straight into tanks and they were 35% short of we doubled the size of the business gets used for the plants. labour. The government did and, as luck so happened, we had the It goes through a UV filter listen and just before Christmas new glasshouse that could handle the and sand filter to take out any nasties. it was announced the scheme is to volumes. We have had two good years; The rest of the water goes into our big include ornamentals. what next year will bring, who knows. reservoir, which we pump back out to reuse, so we don’t buy in any water for What makes your seasonal Have you struggled to get growing and caring for plants, only for workers want to return to Hayloft seasonal workers? the people living on site. each year?

We have no problem getting staff in All the packaging is made of recycled Whether you like it or not, every our offices, they are all local. Its materials and can be recycled and then nursery is rated on social media so slightly harder getting temporary we have the ultimate product, which is workers for packing plants and working you’re either a good employer or not so a plant, which takes in CO2 and chucks good. We hope we are a good employer, in the greenhouses. We have a demand so the word on the street is that this is of an extra 50 staff in the spring from out oxygen during the day. a good place to work. That’s the mid-February to the end of June. We culture we try to provide whether staff rely on various government schemes.

Do you need to use a lot of energy are in the office or in the greenhouses.

We struggled a bit last year because to heat the glasshouses?

We have portable cabins that that although there is a seasonal workers We do sell a few bedding plants and had been used in the Olympic village pilot, it was for edible nurseries only.

Christmas plants so we do have a small in 2012. We converted them so each I went down to Westminster for a area we can heat with traditional oil section sleeps two people and has a Select Parliamentary Hearing in late boilers, but it’s only a fraction - 15% of kitchen and bathroom and veranda.

October and presented the case for the glasshouses. The rest is kept at People live in them for up to six ornamentals as to why we need ambient temperatures. The groundmonths. The questions we always ask seasonal labour. The biggest source heat pump does this, mainly 40

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Meet the grower where the packers are. It puts gentle heat across the packing area and filters into the greenhouse, where most of our products are perennials and shrubs so they don’t need much heat and will take their chances through the winter.

How much of a challenge will it be to become a peat-free business?

We have a lot of products grown for us in the UK and Europe. Several of our suppliers are peat free, and several supply taupe pots, but not all. We have all learnt to grow in peat-reduced product, 30 or 40% peat reduced, but going to no peat will be quite difficult.

The problem is certain plants just don’t like the removal of peat. Other plants are fine, but the management is harder as you need more water and fertiliser, so there are some benefits from avoiding peat and at the same time it’s a different, more costly management system.

The biggest problem we have is there is insufficient supply of non-peat materials. The two principal ones are coir, which comes halfway across the world in bales from Sri Lanka and must be washed to remove the salts. The other one is forest thinnings and competition here is with power stations and other users.

We are all aware of the fact that peat needs to be reduced, but the government’s timetable is a bit too quick and that will cause all sorts of issues if they stick to it.

Iris bulbs are potted up to grow on Tell us about your new role as chairman of the BPOA The British Protected Ornamentals Association (BPOA) was formed to represent the interests of bedding plant growers. Primarily, these are small businesses where no-one has sufficient time to do these chairman roles.

I’m quite lucky, my wife Yvonne and I are both 60 and we are looking to retire in the not-too-distant future, so have put in a management team here.

This means I can step away from the business and am not involved in the day-to-day running. This has given me time to represent the industry.

Among the issues we have are peat reduction and elimination, and the growers’ vote to wind up the AHDB board, so we have got no minor use

Hellebores fill the nursery in late winter

chemical research. The minor and emergency use of chemicals is a big issue. If you are a manufacturer and it involves a wheat crop there is a big market, if you have azaleas, there are probably only a handful in the country who grow them, so without the minor use trials, we have a problem with a lack of chemicals. While we try not to use many chemicals and use bio-controls such as nematodes where possible, sometimes they are the only option.

What sets your business apart from other similar nurseries?

We do spend a lot of money on customer service. A lot of our competitors have hidden behind the internet and trying to talk to a real person is impossible. One of our strengths is we have a big customer service department. There is a total of 42 desks in the department and we have the call centre too, so you can always pick up the phone and talk to Hayloft.

A lot of customers want information, so they want to know how to grow plants, they want to understand what their plant will do next. Many are quite elderly and want a chat - many don’t have or use debit cards, so the only method they have is a cheque.

We still process in the region of 40,000 cheques a year; it’s a good job the government didn’t ban them. We still get the odd postal order too and occasionally £20 in cash and some stamps in the post! 2

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Guest Column

Defra’s chief plant health officer, Nicola Spence, explains why biosecurity at our

S

borders is vital to avoid damaging both crops and natural habitats ince leaving the EU on 1 January 2021, we’ve had the chance to set our own sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regime focused on addressing the biosecurity risks we face. It includes risk-based import checks of plants, plant products and other objects from all countries - EU and non-EU - to avoid the introduction and establishment of harmful plant pests and diseases.

So why does this matter to the horticultural and farming community and to traders? Put simply, our biosecurity is vital to protecting our industry. In the past, we have sadly suffered instances where harmful plant pests and diseases have made their way into the country, causing untold damage both financially and to our natural habitats.

A prime example of this is the outbreak of the Asian longhorn beetle, first discovered in the UK in 2012.

Eradication of the outbreak took seven years of intensive trapping and surveillance work. As part of the eradication programme, 2,133 trees were felled. The total cost to eradicate the outbreak was around £1.9m.

It is precisely because we have a bedrock of high biosecurity standards that we have such a productive horticulture and farming sector and it’s important that we get the balance right between controls that protect our high standards, but also limit the disruption to trade and commerce.

As part of the revision of our plant health regime, pest risk analysts have reviewed the threats posed to decide what controls to apply on imported goods, arriving at an evidence-based list of pests and commodities which need to be regulated to help protect GB biosecurity.

The most common To ensure our import intercepted pests and regime continues to “Whilst our priority diseases in 2021 on EU address changing is maintaining the high plant material have biosecurity risks, it biosecurity standards the UK been Bemisia tabaci will be kept under enjoys, we want to achieve (tobacco whitefly) continuous this outcome with minimal and tomato mottle review and impact on industry to mosaic virus. Tobacco adapted based on ensure trade is facilitated whitefly is not latest available and goods continue to established in the UK scientific evidence. flow smoothly” but has the potential to Future amendments be a major pest of crops like could include the tomato and cucumber. regulation of new pests or In 2012, the total Tomato mottle mosaic deregulation of existing ones, cost to eradicate the virus can affect both as well as changes to the Asian longhorn beetle flower and fruit commodities which are outbreak was around production in controlled. susceptible tomato In recognition of these and pepper varieties changes meaning businesses and disease symptoms need to adapt, controls for can rapidly spread within products imported from the EU infected crops. have been introduced in stages. Since Whilst our priority is maintaining the 1 January 2021, high-priority plants and high biosecurity standards the UK plant products have required preenjoys, we want to achieve this outcome notification, a phytosanitary certificate with minimal impact on industry to (PC) and have been subject to riskensure trade is facilitated and goods based checks. At the beginning of this continue to flow smoothly. year, certain plant produce and cut Working with stakeholder groups, flowers have required pre-notification. including the NFU, we are advancing a From 1 July 2022, all plants and plant range of projects to make plant health products, other than unregulated controls as efficient and effective as goods, must be accompanied by a PC possible. This includes the work to and will be subject to risk-based digitise the certification process, identity and physical checks at Border moving from paper documents to the Control Posts or Control Points. ePhyto platform. We’re also developing EU high-priority plant products pose an automated link (API) in our imports the greatest potential risk to GB notification service (IPAFFS) to biosecurity, so they were regulated as significantly reduce the notification soon as the transition period ended burden for some importers, by enabling and the action we have taken has their local systems to ‘talk’ directly to already paid dividends. In 2021, IPAFFS to create import notifications. there were 113 pest and disease We’re grateful for the constructive interceptions on plant material from input we receive from the NFU and its the Netherlands (89) and Italy (24) and members, and we look forward to lower findings on plant material from continuing to work together to deliver many other EU countries, highlighting world-class plant health controls. 2 the importance of import inspections.

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