NFU HORTICULTURE SUMMER 2023

For horticulture and potato members of the NFU

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 CampbellGibbons

Michael Barker

NFU Horticulture advisers

Chief horticulture and potatoes adviser

Lee Abbey

e: lee.abbey@nfu.org.uk

Horticulture adviser

Rupert Weaver

e: rupert.weaver @nfu.org.uk

Horticulture adviser

Christine McDowell

e: christine.mcdowell@ nfu.org.uk

Commercial

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Printed by: Stephen & George

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Photography: John Cottle, istock

For more on the strategy document, visit: nfuonline.com/ growthinhort

the chairman

You know how it is, when something is too good to be true? Back in June 2022 when the government launched its National Food Strategy, it advocated a more specifc strategy for growth in the horticulture sector. To get things going, your Horticulture and Potatoes Board decided to provide some assistance by developing a parallel strategy with 10 core themes – that might become adopted in due course by government. In May 2023, we are now told that the current administration does not favour an over-arching strategy, but will be addressing matters issue by issue. Whilst that still gives an opportunity to deal with some of the matters in the NFU Strategy, we are missing the opportunity to address, more holistically, the combination of factors that undermines business confdence and act as a barrier to growth in many sectors.

In a year that has already seen supply shortages in some key salad crops, we might hope that, strategy or not, we will continue to get some focused attention from government. Perhaps the Food Security Summit (see page 15) will be a new turning point. In the meantime, your NFU will continue to promote an integrated approach to addressing the industry’s issues. This edition of Horticulture magazine details work we are doing in border controls, seasonal labour and growing media – all feature in our strategy and have a signifcant impact on business confdence in relevant sectors.

Finally, I would like to thank retiring board member Nick Ottewell for his service representing leafy salads and welcome Mark Eves (representing ornamental horticulture) as a full board member following on from his co-option.

Martin Emmett

Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman

Full details of board membership can be found at: nfuonline.com/hortandpotatoesboard

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What's been happening...

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

Fee high on agenda

The NFU continues to engage with Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) Mark White on Tesco’s controversial plans to introduce a 'fulflment fee' for suppliers whose products are sold online.

The extra charge would apply to products sold through Tesco’s website, and orders made via its wholesale Booker business. Its unexpected announcement was described by NFU President Minette Batters as a "stark demonstration of a lack of supply chain fairness".

While the supermarket has since clarifed that the fee is voluntary, and that no products will be delisted if a supplier refuses to pay, the retailer has not withdrawn its plans.

It continues to argue that the costs of online shopping means it needs suppliers to pay a share. The GCA is seeking evidenceget more at NFUonline.com/ Tesco-fee and read more from p16 of this magazine

Visa scheme review

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has launched an inquiry into the seasonal worker visa scheme. The probe will cover all aspects of the hard-won arrangements, including the rules, size and cost of the scheme, the potential for exploitation and poor labour market practice, evidence from international comparators, and needs in the longer term.

The MAC, which advises government on migration issues, says it has no preconceptions and its review comes simply because the arrangements have been in place for a number of years.

The NFU, which played a lead role in lobbying for the scheme and several subsequent improvements (see p23), has been asked to provide evidence and will make a full submission.

Growers needing staf are urged to make contact with one of the six operators to register demand. More at NFUonline. com/seasonal-latest

Status to smooth trade

The NFU is urging growers who import plants or plant materials to consider applying for Control Point Status. This will allow sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks to be conducted on site, rather than at a Border Control Post (BCP). A number of members have expressed concerns about biosecurity, delays and handling at BCPs. The current regime that has allowed checks at fnal destinations ends next year, but it can take between three and 18 months to be designated as a Control Point. More at NFUonline.com/horticulture

Food summit

The government hosted a high-level food summit in May, answering a key campaigning call from the NFU, and a commitment made by PM Rishi Sunak at NFU headquarters during his leadership campaign.

Key announcements included a pledge to issue 45,000 visas for the Seasonal Worker Scheme next year, £30m to unlock the potential of precision breeding, an investigation into the egg and horticulture supply chains, and a pledge to replace the EU Fruit and Veg Scheme for producer organisations with an expanded ofer from 2026.

The NFU has called for the summit to become an annual event. More on p15

Irrigation watch

The wettest March since 1981 led to an improved picture when the EA issued an updated irrigation outlook for the 2023 season.

Its prospects report shows all regions are now classifed as ‘moderate’, ‘moderate to good’, or ‘good’, although 'moderate’ still means abstraction controls are possible by mid-summer.

Despite the brighter irrigation outlook, the soaking was not enough to shift parts of East Anglia, Devon and Cornwall out of ofcial ‘drought’ status yet, and the NFU will monitor the picture closely.

CONFIDENCE CRASH

Business confdence amongst farmers is at its lowest since the start of the pandemic – and nowhere more so than in horticulture, according to a temperature-taking exercise from the NFU.

WAGES REMINDER

New rates for the National Living Wage (NLW) and the National Minimum Wage (NMW) came into force on 1 April. The NLW, the minimum hourly wage that must be paid to all staf aged 23 or over, rose by 9.7% to £10.42. Meanwhile, the NMW for 21 and 22-year-olds was increased by 10.9%, to £10.18 an hour. Minimum hourly pay for workers between 18 and 20 rose to £7.49.

The NFU will highlight industry views as the Low Pay Commission consults on 2024 rates. The government ambition is for the NLW to equate to two-thirds of average earnings by 2024.

Read our guidance at: NFUonline.com/NLW-23

Growers‘ business confdence for the year ahead on a scale from -100 to 100

Growers in the sector responding to the annual Farmer Confdence Survey painted among the bleakest of pictures, returning a -19 score for the year ahead, on a scale of -100 to +100, down 28 on the previous year. They put the medium-term outlook at -5, down 13.

The survey of more than 600 member businesses scanned horizons across all major UK farming sectors and saw short-term confdence overall fall from +7 last year to -8 this time around, with prospects for the medium term down 7 to also sit at -8. Spiralling input costs, the phase-out of support payments and wider regulation and legislation were the biggest factors denting confdence.

Cause and efect

With horticulture and egg producers particularly short on business optimism, the NFU said the exercise had evidenced issues that have caused recent gaps on supermarket shelves.

President Minette Batters said: “It is shocking, but not surprising that our survey is reporting the lowest levels in three years. During this time, we have experienced a global pandemic, a war in Europe, tumultuous political change and extreme weather.

“If this lack of confdence and uncertainty is allowed to continue it has the potential to lead to further shortages on supermarket shelves and will limit investment, resulting in little to no growth in our domestic food security at a time when we need it most.

“Farmers need to know that government is supporting them through policies that build proftability and resilience into farm businesses.”

Get full results, including brighter news on plans for renewable energy investment, at: NFUonline.com/confdence

SUPERMARKET SUPPLIER?

Horticulture members can tap into the experience of two former supermarket buyers during the latest negotiations workshop organised by the NFU.

Following their popular sessions on cost price increases, Ged Futter and David Miles, of The Retail Mind will return to NFU HQ in Warwickshire, on 3 July, to focus on negotiating new business with retailers, or renewing contracts. NFU members get a 40% discount.

Visit: NFUonline.com/negotiation-skills

STRATEGY ROW BACK

Questions of confdence were also in the spotlight when it emerged that Defra will not be producing the ‘world leading strategy for horticulture’ promised last June.

Instead of a published blueprint, Farming Minister Mark Spencer said in a written answer that the department would ‘prioritise policy work through multiple avenues’ – including on labour, automation, grant funding and ‘working across government on energy support and planning’.

While many of those areas are included in the NFU’s own strategy for the sector (see p11 ), board chair Martin Emmett said that an overarching roadmap would have provided a much-needed confdence boost.

He said: “Yes, those components, from labour supply, to fairness in the supply chain and energy issues are key, but it’s very important to see how we are getting there. The commitments the minister is promising would make a diference, but we would beneft from seeing it packaged together.”

Findings ‘shocking, but no surprise’ –Minette Batters

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Making horticulture heard

Peers prove a receptive audience as NFU sets out challenges – and opportunities, writes

Hayley Campbell-Gibbons

The NFU has played a pivotal role in ensuring that a House of Lords inquiry understands the key challenges facing UK horticulture growers. Through both verbal and written evidence, it is calling for government intervention to address key policy barriers to growth, including on energy, labour, crop protection, planning and more. It has also been fundamental in uniting stakeholders to land consistent messaging surrounding these themes.

Attention overdue

The House of Lords Horticulture Sector Committee, chaired by Lord Redesdale, has been appointed to consider the future development of the horticultural sector.

In a tweet on 17 April, Lord Redesdale said: “Horticulture is a large sector of the economy and we’ve tended to ignore it.”

Since January, the committee has been calling upon witnesses for evidence to help it understand the challenges, opportunities and risks faced by the growers.

The cross-party special inquiry is particularly interested in the impact of rising input costs, and labour and skills shortages on the horticulture sector, how innovative technologies might address these issues, and other pressing challenges such as the impact of climate change on productivity and food supply.

In addition, Peers are exploring how policy can support growers to help meet government ambitions for levelling up and post-Brexit trade.

The inquiry’s scope covers the production, cultivation and

management of edible fruits and vegetables, as well as ornamental plants.

Lord Redesdale said: “Horticulture is worth billions to the UK economy. From healthy fruit and vegetables to the multitude of crop and plant varieties that can be grown in the UK, it is a fundamental component of a secure food supply, supports the wellbeing of millions of people, and could provide innovative solutions to the challenges presented by climate change. Despite this, horticulture has been continually overlooked and undervalued.

Lord Redesdale Chair of The House of Lords Horticulture Sector Committee

“The industry has long been calling for more support to realise these benefts. Our inquiry will explore what is needed to ensure the sector can lead the country towards net zero, deliver skilled green jobs, and innovate to put the UK on the map as a science superpower.”

Market failure

NFU Horticulture and Potatoes chair Martin Emmett was invited to a private meeting with the committee and shared the NFU’s new Horticulture Strategy, which covers 10 key policy priorities.

Written evidence was also submitted by the NFU at this meeting, which gave more detail on the sector’s challenges, such as a ruthlessly competitive marketplace, and outlined priority policy actions the government could take to address the market failure we currently face.

During Martin's private briefng, he also described the complexities

businesses face with peat-free mixes, which the committee later asked several other witnesses to share their insights on.

At an oral evidence session in March 2023, NFU President Minette Batters impressed upon Peers the enormous opportunity for horticultural growth, but said it is being held back by extreme rising input costs, a lack of sustainable farmgate returns from the market and a signifcant lack of government support to acknowledge or address a fundamentally broken marketplace.

Priorities emphasised by industry stakeholders

Jack Ward, CEO of British Growers, also gave verbal and written evidence to the Committee, agreeing with the NFU's analysis of the current market situation. He explained how the competitive landscape of the grocery sector is placing more risks on growers, eroding value and how growers are no longer willing or able to shoulder this threat.

Labour availability has also been a hot topic across the evidence sessions so far. Representing the West Sussex Growers Association (a specialist branch of the NFU), Newey Group

director Mike Norris talked about the challenges his business had faced with planners when he sought to expand his accommodation for workers, and how a lack of long-term clarity on the seasonal workers scheme hinders business confdence.

Both Mr Norris and Martin Emmett, along with other witnesses, expressed the complexity businesses are facing with moving to peat-free growing media. They said government must fnd ways to help growers transition to new, alternative materials and provide more time to address the complexities in scaling peat-free commercial production.

They all pressed for government support with development of new products and capital grant funds for on-farm infrastructure to adapt to alternative materials – both core policy asks of the NFU, and the industry’s Growing Media Taskforce.

They warned that peat alternatives are already more expensive, and business are seeing the knock-on impacts of this added expense.

Further evidence is expected to be provided throughout the year with the fnal report expected to be published by 30 November 2023. P

“The industry has long been calling for more support. Our inquiry will explore what is needed to ensure the sector can lead the country towards net zero, deliver skilled green jobs, and innovate to put the UK on the map as a science superpower"

At an oral evidence session in March 2023, NFU President Minette Batters impressed upon Peers the enormous opportunity for horticultural growth

Introducing our strategy

Martin Emmett reflects on the NFU Horticulture Strategy

At the start of March, against the backdrop of empty shelves reported in the media, the NFU Horticulture Strategy was launched, highlighting the top 10 policies required to deliver long-term growth of the sector.

Yet, news of Farming Minister Mark Spencer holding an emergency meeting with supermarket retailers in March seemed to do little more than offer him a PR opportunity.

Tesco has clearly not taken his concerns seriously, when it subsequently wrote to suppliers to communicate their intention to charge extra fees for products sold online.

Defra promises failing to materialise

When restaurateur and Defra nonexecutive Henry Dimbleby quit his government role out of frustration that his recommendations in the National Food Strategy were being ignored, there was hope for the horticulture

sector. Suddenly the government reinvigorated its promise to focus on growth. This promise has, so far, failed to materialise. That is why the NFU’s strategy is so important.

Minette and I will continue to engage meaningfully in the House of Lords' inquiry into the horticulture sector, providing evidence to the inquiry and meeting with committee members for more candid discussions. We are also working with a range of associations to submit complementary plans, both to the inquiry and directly to Defra.

Continuing our current momentum

One thing we can say for sure right now, is that we have a lot of momentum behind us. Our sector has been under a spotlight for the past few months and doesn’t appear to be fading away any time soon.

Our 10 building blocks for success are a solid starting point for government to develop its growth plan. Yet, turning an ambition for horticulture growth into reality requires government to consider the impact on domestic food production of all future policies it designs. If not done right, or soon, the sector's growth potential will be stifled before it can even begin.

Right now, the short-term stability and long-term growth of our sector are the top priorities for the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board. We will do everything we can to deliver it.

Martin Emmett NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair

See our 10 building blocks for success on the next page

10 BUILDING BLOCKS FOR GROWTH

1 Access to labour

A minimum fve-year 'rolling' seasonal worker scheme, with suitable length visas, no wage diferential from the National Living Wage or unrealistic cap on worker numbers.

2 Access to afordable and sustainable energy supplies

Urgent recognition of energy-intensive horticulture sectors within the Energy and Trade Intensive Industries (ETII) scheme, and expansion of grid infrastructure to support investment in renewables.

3 Access to crop protection

An enabling crop protection policy which ensures the UK is not disadvantaged against its global competitors, plus security of the EAMU programme beyond March 2023, previously funded by horticulture levies and run by AHDB.

4 Access to water

As the sector is vulnerable to drought and the challenges from reductions/revocations of abstraction licences, greater investment is needed in infrastructure to collect, store and distribute water, both on farms and within and between regions.

5 Access to sustainable growing media

A ban on the use of peat in commercial production is not the right approach. There is need for industry/government collaboration to move towards peat-free in an environmentally and commercially-sustainable way.

6 Productivity investment

It is critical that a replacement to the EU Fruit and Veg Aid Scheme is fnalised as soon as possible, which is more inclusive than the previous EU scheme, and that there are no further delays in its development.

7 Enabling import controls for plants and plant products

Minimising the barriers and costs for importing plants and plant materials – the foundations of all horticultural production – while maintaining biosecurity.

8 Fairness in the supply chain

It is vital that growers can have open discussions and fair negotiations on cost price infation with their customers.

9 Access to environmental funding schemes

Better recognition of horticulture is required in ELMS and Countryside Stewardship that refects the variety of growing systems across the sector.

10 An enabling planning policy

Greater consistency is needed in planning decisions to support – not restrict – horticultural businesses’ ability to grow. This includes the provision of high quality, short-term accommodation for seasonal workers.

The NFU has identifed the critical areas that will be necessary for growers to develop and grow the industry

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Fresh focus on food

What does a landmark food summit achieved by the NFU mean for growers?

The frst Farm to Fork Summit provided a positive outlook for UK food security and showed that domestic self-sufciency is back on the political agenda, the NFU said.

The event at Number 10, which included high-level representation from across supply chains, answered a key campaigning call on food security from the NFU – and a commitment made by PM Rishi Sunak at NFU headquarters during his Conservative Party leadership campaign.

Alongside several wider NFU wins – including a core agreement from Rishi Sunak that “we have got to meet our target to continue producing 60% of the food we consume”, horticulture featured heavily, both at the summit and in an open letter to farmers and growers from the PM.

The summit and our sector

There were pledges to again issue 45,000 visas for the Seasonal Worker Scheme next year – with the potential for 10,000 more. Also for £30 million of funding to unlock the potential of precision breeding, an investigation into horticulture supply chains beginning this autumn, and to replace the EU Fruit and Veg Scheme for producer organisations with an expanded ofer from 2026, a

longstanding NFU ask.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator role will not be merging with the CMA, an idea foated in a recent consultation, with Mr Sunak saying government had “listened to feedback”, which has included the NFU.

On energy, there was a pledge to investigate “what more can be done… for controlled environment horticulture”, including a possible reclassifcation that could help the sector access more support.

On water, the summit heard that abstraction licence decisions would become more fexible, with a pledge to create national and regional Water Resource Management Plans for agriculture.

Elsewhere, Mr Sunak said the government would “put agriculture up front in trade deals”, assessing their impacts and protecting sensitive sectors, including “where appropriate”, through permanent quotas.

The number of agricultural attaches will be increased from 11 to 16 and there were fresh commitments to prioritise new export opportunities, to

‘WE MUST BUILD ON THIS’

NFU President Minette Batters said: “The announcements show a recognition and an understanding of the strategic importance of British food and farming to the nation, and the importance of coordinated action across government to support confdence, investment and growth in British food. What we need now is to build on these announcements.

“We are calling for a set of core agri-food import standards for trade. While it is pleasing government is looking to maintain self-sufciency at 60%, we believe there’s an opportunity to produce much more of our own food here.”

OUR WORK

In the run-up to the summit, the NFU had:

• Written to both candidates for the Conservative Party leadership election in August 2022, calling for food security to be taken seriously across Whitehall.

• Held hustings events with the candidates and NFU members, where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak committed to monitoring food self-sufciency and holding a food summit if he was elected.

• Secured eight new agri-food attachés overseas to drive exports of British food and break down barriers in a number of countries.

• Convened an emergency press conference calling for fairness for farmers and growers and asking government whether an exceptional market conditions declaration should be made, given the empty shelves seen in supermarkets.

protect UK food standards “without exception” and to remove market access barriers. That included £2m to boost the UK’s programme of global trade shows and missions.

The NFU has called for the summit to become an annual event, as part of a prioritisation of high-standard, sustainable, domestic food production and to build resilience and transparency from farm to fork.

“Our food supply is part of the UK’s national infrastructure and an a nnual event will ensure that food security never drops down the political agenda again,” said NFU President Minette Batters. P

“I know how tough things have been for our farming communities. I want to thank you on behalf of the whole nation for all that you do.”

Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister

TESCO TENSION

Tesco’s request for suppliers to pay a fulflment fee for its online and Booker operations has caused anger and distrust.

Salad vegetables made front page headlines for all the wrong reasons in February, when adverse weather in Spain combined with lower UK production led to empty shelves in British supermarkets.

The situation served to highlight the fragility of supply in a year when growers have been grappling with a range of production challenges, from input cost pressure to soaring energy prices and labour shortages. At a time like this, the assumption would be that closer collaborative working between retailers and suppliers would be the way to navigate the choppy waters.

Instead, in March, Britain’s largest retailer Tesco invoked memories of

some of its more infamous tactics from previous eras by asking its suppliers for a ‘fulflment fee’ to cover its online and Booker wholesale operations. The proposed fees were 12p per unit on brands and 5p per unit on own-label products, with the smallest suppliers exempt.

Tesco claimed it needed to charge the fees so suppliers shared the burden of online fulflment, but in response to an outcry among suppliers and in the media, it rowed back to state that the fee is voluntary and suppliers would not face delisting if they refused. In a webinar on 29 March, Tesco apologised for the way that certain elements of the matter had been dealt with, but stopped short of withdrawing its plans

and continued to argue that the cost of online shopping is one that suppliers should contribute to.

One area of particular contention among fresh produce suppliers was the blanket nature of the fees. A 12p levy on a £15 bottle of wine doesn’t amount to much; the same fee for a 50p bag of carrots represents a huge percentage. Whatever happens, the episode has left a sour taste in the mouth of already embattled suppliers, who are struggling to stay afoat and have been dealing with supermarket buyers using a range of tactics to delay or limit increased returns.

“It is fair to say the letter came as a shock to the majority of suppliers and the wider industry,” says NFU food

Michael Barker fnds out more

business relationships adviser Annabel Bagshaw. “This announcement has added further strain to businesses already under substantial pressure and at a time when producer confdence is already low.”

As soon as news broke of Tesco’s

SUPPLIERS URGED TO COME FORWARD

Adjudicator Mark White is asking suppliers to come forward with their evidence on the Tesco afair as he continues to engage with the retailer. Supplier feedback on buyer behaviour is vital for the GCA to function efectively, and any comments will be completely anonymous, unless the supplier states otherwise.

NFU members can contact the Food Business team by emailing FoodBusinessUnit@nfu.org.uk, or get in touch with Mr White directly on enquiries@groceriescode.gov.uk or by calling 0207 215 6537.

letter to suppliers, the NFU engaged with Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) Mark White to question the retailer’s approach and highlight its concerns around compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP). Since then, NFU President Minette Batters has met Mr White in person to discuss the issue further.

Mr White said he has been engaging directly with Tesco following the announcement in early March, and while it is understood that the fulflment fee in its current form does not breach the code, close attention is being paid to whether it amounts to a ‘pay to stay’ request or breaks rules on treating suppliers fairly.

Former Asda commercial director David Miles, who now runs specialist GSCOP consultancy The Retail Mind, says that, above all, the whole afair showed a surprising level of naivety from such an experienced buying team as Tesco’s, adding that the charge doesn’t even make sense under scrutiny – why, for instance, should it cost more than double to fulfl a branded product than an own-label equivalent when it’s simply a question of picking and delivering the item to customers?

Mr Miles says the move was born out of the fact that grocery home delivery is inherently an expensive model, and at a time when all businesses are sufering with cost pressure, every department would have been tasked with looking for savings. It’s unlikely a coincidence that Tesco announced in April that its pre-tax profts for 2022/23 had fallen by half, though not many suppliers will be crying in sympathy for the £1 billion proft it still managed to post.

“From the supplier’s point of view,

this [fulflment fee] appeared as a charge,” Mr Miles continues. “It’s not illegal as it’s outside the GSCOP, but Tesco started to row back from it to a position where it’s been announced as a voluntary charge. Nobody is going to volunteer to pay it, so what it leaves is the buyers open to their own way of trying to coerce suppliers to pay it. That really does depend on the buyer-supplier relationship, almost on an individual basis, as to what sort of pressure will be exerted on suppliers.”

Essentially, while suppliers might not be forced to pay, they may feel that not doing so could damage their long-term relationship with the supermarket – a kind of psychological pressure that goes beyond what is written in black and white. “It leaves a position where suppliers are wondering ‘how am I going to avoid paying this charge and still grow my business?’,” Mr Miles adds. “I think it will be used in supplier negotiations as a bit of leverage and a bit of coercion. But it’ll hopefully be left to gently drift away and be gone.”

The NFU wants to see the food supply chain work collaboratively and transparently towards long-term objectives and not short-term wins, according to Ms Bagshaw. And Mr Miles agrees that the situation perfectly illustrates the diferent approaches to dealing with times of challenge.

“One approach is you jump in together, and work at it and collaborate,” he points out. “Earned trust means people will work with you and try things and invest of the back of that trust. The other way is you distance yourself with threats, and sadly, that seems to be the easiest and most frequently used path.” P

“This announcement has added further strain to businesses already under substantial pressure and at a time when producer confdence is already low”

Annabel Bagshaw

NFU food business relationships adviser

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Post-Brexit progress

A new agreement in Northern Ireland and a draft Target Operating Model have brought some clarity for growers, importers and exporters, as Michael Barker explains

It’s been a positive few weeks in terms of post-Brexit progress. After three years of inertia following Britain’s divisive departure from the European Union, substantial steps forward have been taken on two of the most unsatisfactory issues – Northern Ireland and border control.

Smoothing agri-trade: The Windsor Agreement

In late February, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission

President Ursula von der Leyen reached agreement on the Winsdor Framework, a new deal designed to fx the problems of the much-maligned Northern Ireland Protocol. Crucially, the new framework removes the border in the Irish Sea for goods staying within the UK through the creation of new red and green lanes, with products – including food destined for Northern Ireland – going through the green lane unencumbered by checks or red tape.

The NFU welcomed the new long-term arrangements, which it said smooths trade in agri-food between Britain and Northern Ireland. The deal should help overcome some of the practical issues seen so far, such as costly certifcation, physical inspections and the prohibition on trade in certain products such as seed potatoes and trees.

Plants and seeds staying in Northern Ireland will now move from Britain on a virtually identical basis to those moving elsewhere within the UK,

NFU’s chief EU exit and international trade adviser

entering Northern Ireland via an SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary)

Inspection Facility. Instead of full EU certifcation, all plants and seeds will move under the existing UK-wide plant passport scheme, in line with traders throughout the UK. That means that rather than paying £150 per movement into Northern Ireland, growers and businesses can now pay £120 a year to be a part of the UK scheme.

Potato progress

Previously banned seed potatoes will once again be available from other

“We hope this will act as a turning point to establish a more constructive trading relationship between Great Britain and the EU”

Gail Soutar

parts of the UK, while remaining prohibited in the Republic of Ireland. And certifcation requirements for used agricultural and forestry machinery will be removed, with the only requirement now being a single, self-applied label to indicate that the machinery will not move into the EU.

Many of the outstanding issues that the NFU has around Northern Irish trade relate to livestock, but there are a few of relevance to horticulture. While the Windsor Framework has facilitated EU approval for species of trees being able to be imported from Britain to Northern Ireland, there are still a number of banned species, including

cherry, hazel and hawthorn, which the NFU says should be available to farmers and growers to plant in Northern Ireland.

In addition to agreeing with the latter point, the Horticultural Trades Association has pointed out that seed potatoes sourced in Britain are not able to be sold in Northern Irish garden centres or via mail order, and only grower to grower. It has proposed the establishment of a British & Northern Irish Horticulture & Seed Potato Traders Forum as a matter of urgency to work through the issues and the detail, as well as to develop new policies, mitigate costs, reduce

DEFRA PUBLISHES TOM

Away from Northern Ireland, Defra fnally published its long-awaited draft Border Target Operating Model (TOM) in April, which it said would create a “new world-class border system to provide protection from security and biosecurity threats”.

The government is currently in the midst of a feedback period with industry, following which it will publish its fnal version later this year.

A central feature of the proposed model is the new Single Trade Window, delivered from this year and to be fully operational by 2027, which is described as a technology that will streamline processes for traders, who will only need to submit information once and in one place.

‘Checks vital – there must be no more delays’ NFU President Minette Batters welcomed the publication of the TOM. “For the past three years, our farmers have faced the full gamut of EU controls on our exports while the EU has enjoyed continued easy access to the UK marketplace,” she said.

“It’s therefore good that, after numerous delays, the government has published its plan for implementing the Target Operating Model and we will examine the details closely. As we mark 10 years on from the horsemeat scandal, and with food fraud stories so recently making the headlines, it is critical that a robust system of import checks is put in place as quickly as possible and there are no further delays.”

Trusted traders?

The NFU has given the nod of approval to the establishment of a trusted trader scheme, known at this stage as Authorised Operator Status (AOS), which

bureaucracy and move forward with positive change.

Overall, there’s a hope that some of the more confrontational attitudes seen among MPs in the immediate Brexit aftermath are now being replaced by conciliation and a more positive future.

“We hope this will act as a turning point to establish a more constructive trading relationship between Great Britain and the EU and address the remaining barriers that exist on trade between us,” said the NFU’s chief EU exit and international trade adviser, Gail Soutar. P

simplifes requirements for many traders/goods. In principle, approved businesses operating under the AOS scheme will be delegated responsibility to conduct checks at a registered Control Point (CP). With a business premise permitted to be a registered CP, this would therefore avoid the need for the goods to move through a Border Control Point (BCP).

While the NFU welcomed this, it would like to see a delay to bringing BCPs online – currently scheduled from 31 January 2024 – until the AOS is fully operational in order to minimise supply chain disruption and biosecurity concerns of growers using BCPs in the meantime. Under the AOS scheme, checks would be conducted by the Trusted Trader at their premises and check levels would be dependent on the origin and commodity. A business must be a Control Point (CP) to enjoy the benefts of the AOS, and Defra is encouraging businesses to start registering for CP status now, as the process can take anywhere between three to 18 months.

There are issues the NFU still wants resolved, such as ensuring that businesses importing particularly vulnerable plants and plant products like glasshouse crops or young trees can register as a CP easily, to guarantee inspections at the business premises and plant health and biosecurity for these goods is maintained. There is also a considerable lack of clarity on inspection fee charges for the BCP model.

While the new arrangements in Northern Ireland and the proposed border model are not perfect, the farming industry undoubtedly has a clearer view of its post-Brexit future than it did two months ago. At a time of so much uncertainty and challenge, that is welcome news indeed.

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Labour of love

Even before the announcement on next year’s visa allocation at the Food Summit, NFU lobbying had secured a number of improvements to the Seasonal Worker Scheme. Michael Barker reports

Seasonal labour shortages have been the bane of growers’ existence in recent years, with an annual struggle to convince the government to give the industry the resources it needs to pick and pack the nation’s crops.

Finally, things have taken a turn for the better. Just before Christmas, Defra announced that 45,000 seasonal workers would be available for businesses this year, with the potential to increase by a further 10,000 if required. Then, at the NFU Conference in February, farming minister Mark Spencer confrmed that seasonal workers will be paid the Living Wage, and not a higher minimum specifcally

for seasonal labour as had previously been proposed. While the Living Wage requirement still puts the minimum hourly wage up from £10.10 to £10.42, growers would have been looking at a nightmare level of over £11 for this year.

A further success came after NFU lobbying helped secure a provision that allows returnee workers from 2022 to come back sooner in 2023. It means that workers can now return to the UK after fve months, rather than waiting the full six months from the end of their 2022 visa.

The NFU had been pushing for a visa reset in recognition of the impact of the Ukraine war on the availability of seasonal labour, and while only an extra month has been gained, that will

still prove valuable to many growers. It also represents an important concession from the Home Ofce, leaving the door open to make the case again should the industry face similar challenges in the future.

Then, at the Farm to Fork Summit in May, government confrmed that next year would again see 45,000 visas made available under the scheme, with the potential for 10,000 more.

The work goes on

Despite the wins, the NFU isn’t resting on its laurels. “We are still pushing to make sure that the scheme is much longer term, because, as it stands, it’s still due to fnish at the end of the 2024 season and there’s no commitment

WHERE TO GET WORKERS

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beyond that time,” explains chief horticulture adviser Lee Abbey. “We are pushing to make sure we have a longer-term commitment and that we have that decision this calendar year, because we can’t go into the fnal year of the current scheme not knowing if there’s going to be any scheme the year after.

“That’s the situation we’ve efectively been in for a number of years and we can’t aford to do that again. We must have a decision this calendar year that the scheme will be lengthened and we are calling for it to be a minimum of a fve-year rolling programme, so we always know at least fve years in advance that the scheme will continue to exist.”

Mr Abbey says the industry currently has broadly the numbers of visas it needs and wants it to be maintained at this level, but to be reviewed regularly according to industry needs. He adds that the NFU would like to see the length of visa increased so that workers can stay up to nine months in any one year, with three months away, which

would help build up the number of returnees.

End of season survey

The NFU’s latest end-of-season survey certainly highlights what a major impact labour shortages had on the industry last season before the current visa levels were established. As many as 60% of respondents said they experienced a shortage in 2022, with the main impact being a reduced proft margin (44%). Increased use of overtime and increased recruitment costs (both 34%), decreased production (33%), increased admin costs and crops unharvested (both 31%) were also major impacts, as well as a decrease in workforce productivity (28%) – a particular problem since the loss of much of the Ukrainian workforce.

One area of disruption has surrounded changes in the seasonal worker scheme operators. AG Recruitment had its licence revoked, while Fruitful Jobs had its licence suspended, before later being reinstated. While those situations created a degree of instability and delays, visas were reallocated to other operators and the six agencies currently on the scheme are now operating normally (see box). Growers who haven’t yet fulflled their labour needs are urged to get in touch with them.

The NFU labour survey indicates that of the respondents who did not apply for workers via the seasonal workers visa route, some 46% didn’t do so because they didn’t think the scheme operators would supply them due to the small numbers of workers they needed. Some 43% said they didn’t have accommodation and 14% didn’t think the agencies supplied their sector.

“The NFU has raised these concerns with the scheme operators and is reassured that the scheme can, in fact, support businesses with smaller labour requirements and in many cases where they do not have their own accommodation,” says Mr Abbey.

“Some of the operators have their own accommodation that they use for the scheme, and it is important to them that workers are able to work for as much of their six-month visa period as possible. Often, requirements from smaller businesses with shorter windows can be very benefcial when the operators are managing the profle of the workforce. I would certainly encourage any business, large or small, to consider using the seasonal worker scheme to address any seasonal labour challenges they may have.”

Finally, the Migration Advisory Committee has launched an inquiry into the seasonal worker visa route. The committee, which says it has no fxed view on the merits of the scheme and is reviewing it as it has been in operation for several years now, intends to consider all aspects of the scheme, including the rules under which it operates, its size and cost, the potential for exploitation and poor labour market practice, evidence from international comparisons, and the long-term need for such a scheme. The NFU has said it will respond to the MAC consultation to provide stakeholder evidence.

It all adds up to a much more comfortable picture than the industry was staring at even just a few months ago. P

“We can’t go into the final year of the current scheme not knowing if there’s going to be any scheme the year after”

Climate-friendly horticulture

We look at what's ahead, as the NFU publishes its net zero roadmap for the sector

The NFU has set an ambition for agriculture to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 – ten years ahead of the government target for all industries. And that work ratcheted up a gear with the recent publication of our sector-bysector resilience plans.

“We’ve identifed some key areas where there are opportunities to enhance or make new steps towards a net zero sector, and also where there are constraints,” says NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Martin Emmett.

“ With the recent ambition from government to grow horticulture, now is the time to showcase it, and enhance our ongoing eforts to enable the sector to be a world leader in productivity and the road to net zero.”

The top lines from the plan for horticulture and potatoes include:

Better lifecycle carbon analysis (LCA)

LCA covers the carbon created in a product’s whole journey from seed to shop. But in a complex, varied sector like horticulture, the NFU says this data doesn’t always exist and many carbon footprinting tools can fall short. That means investment is needed to improve data for each crop.

We want to encourage R&D and investment that makes carbon foot-printing more accessible and accurate for growers.

Better benchmarking

The lack of suitable carbon footprinting data and tools means that there are limited opportunities to benchmark and identify carbon hotspots. It also increases the

commercial sensitivity of data, leading to an unwillingness to share information. The NFU wants to see more consistency between carbon calculators, better advice and guidance to support on-farm data collection, and funding for foot-printing tools that better refect the industry.

Efciency

We see huge opportunities for growers to reduce energy and water use and boost efciency, particularly in intensive crops. However, the cost of investing in innovative technologies is often prohibitively high and growers lack the confdence to make long-term investments in an uncertain market.

We are asking for government support for building investments and improvements such as insulation, LEDs lighting and rainwater harvesting.

Plastics

Cutting plastic is a priority across the supply chain, with environmental benefts beyond reducing carbon. Growers want to play their part, but a lack of suitable alternatives and retail specifcations are amongst a number of signifcant barriers. The NFU is calling for grant funding to trial and develop plastic alternatives, as well as more R&D in this important area.

Carbon capture

While opportunities for some will be limited by the nature of the crop grown and the amount of rented land in rotations, there is still potential in improving the quantity and quality of boundary hedges, in-feld trees, soil management practices, planting biodiversity corridors and perennial cropping.

Our asks in this area are for growers

NFU ENERGY

As an NFU member, you are entitled to discounts on a range of services from our in-house consultancy, NFU Energy – including on-farm carbon accounting that works for your business, energy efciency advice and help identifying hotspot areas to focus on. See opposite for details of some of what NFU Energy has to ofer.

Call the team on 024 7669 6512 or visit: nfuonline.com/ nfu-professional-services/ nfu-energy

not to be overlooked for support and for fnancial incentives and protection from land devaluation.

Green energy

There are enormous benefts in renewable energy, including reducing dependence on the grid and insulating businesses from eternal energy prices. However, investments can have a long payback, planning constraints can hinder development and, in some cases, poor national grid infrastructure limits the feasibility of projects.

The NFU wants it to be easier to make planning applications for renewable developments. We want to see investment in infrastructure, fnancial support for farmers to upgrade to three-phase power supply and more schemes to increase uptake. P

Get the full resilience plan at: NFUonline.com/hort-resilience

NFU Energy ofer

Make big savings on Climate Change Levy (CCL) payments with the NFU CCL Scheme

The government has announced a two-year extension to the Climate Change Agreement (CCA) scheme until March 2027, saving participants up to 92% for electricity and 88% for gas usage on CCL taxes.

The horticulture sector has faced many challenges over the past 12 months, with hugely infated energy bills alongside dramatic rises in other input costs. The same can also be said for both the pig and poultry sectors.

The good news is that any business in these three high-energy-use foodproducing sectors, can once again enter into a Climate Change Agreement and claim reduced rates of the Climate Change Levy – a tax added to electricity and fuel bills.

Climate Change Agreements are voluntary agreements made between UK industry and the Environment Agency to reduce energy use and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In return, operators receive a discount on the Climate Change Levy.

The re-opening of the scheme to new entrants means operators who had previously left, or those who had never joined, have an opportunity to apply. The baseline year for energy reductions performance is still 2018, so if you previously left the scheme, it might be worth re-applying.

The window ofcially re-opens to new eligible applicants for a short period from 1 May – 30 September 2023. The NFU CCL Scheme can help set you up onto the scheme and start processing your data on your behalf. P

The NFU CCL Scheme

The NFU is responsible for the horticulture, pig, and poultry CCA schemes. NFU Energy administers the scheme for the NFU and provides expert help and guidance to members of the scheme.

Our service includes:

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• Initial registration – this covers setting up your Climate Change Agreement for you with the Government’s agents, the Environment Agency (EA), and collecting and registering the relevant data and all other supporting material with them.

• Ensuring ongoing compliance – for instance, are you keeping sufcient records? Are your process map and 70:30 assessment up to date? Have you made any changes to which the Environment Agency should have been notifed?

• Support before and after audits – we can help to ensure you’re ready for an audit and/or assist you in responding and carrying out necessary actions after an audit.

• Ensuring that you’ve claimed and have been receiving all the discount you’re entitled to and helping with any back claims.

How you beneft

• Reduces the burden of administering the scheme yourself – you keep all the necessary records, and we provide the process, system, regular communications, and ongoing support to make all the reporting and administration as easy as possible for you.

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• Access to and simple explanations from friendly, down-to-earth advisers to help you understand exactly what you need to do and answer any questions at any time.

How to join

You can give the team at NFU Energy a call on 024 7669 6512 or email sales@nfuenergy.co.uk. We’ll talk you through joining, or if you currently hold a Climate Change Agreement, we can support with adding any additional sites into your agreement and administer the scheme on your behalf.

Please make sure you get your application to us by the end of August 2023 at the very latest to ensure we have enough time to process it.

For more information visit: nfuenergy.co.uk/services/ccl

NFU Farmer & Grower members receive preferential rates on services provided by NFU Energy.

WHOLESALE CHANGES

The UK’s wholesale markets have come a long way in the past decade, and traders are encouraging growers to give them another look. Michael Barker reports

It would be easy to forget that beyond Britain’s supermarkets lies a vast and fascinating wholesale market scene, where traders work through the night to supply the nation’s restaurants, caterers and public institutions.

Growers could be forgiven for not giving this sector much thought, but with experts estimating that at least 40-45% of all food and fowers are sold to UK consumers by non-supermarket businesses, it’s worth paying attention to the opportunities that exist.

The impression of wholesale markets might be of crumbling old buildings and outdated trading practices, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Many of the country’s markets have either moved to new, purpose-built premises, or are in the process of doing so, with digital, cashless modern businesses now the norm. New Covent Garden Market in London, for example, has settled into superb new facilities at Nine Elms, while New Spitalfelds Market has been in discussions with Smithfeld and Billingsgate to join the meat and fsh

traders at a new, Rungis-style composite market in Dagenham. While the economic challenges of the past two years mean that hasn’t happened yet, it is still considered likely in the years to come.

“The relocating and rebuilding of some of the larger wholesale operations is a true sign that there is a good long life for wholesale markets,” says Birmingham Wholesale Marketbased Mark Tate, co-owner of traders George Perry and GP Salads, as well as the Joe Richards greengrocer chain.

“Even though they were written of in the Strathclyde report all those years ago, the bigger markets are still thriving. So cleaner, brighter, more energy-efcient sites are being rolled out across the country.”

Most, if not all British growers will have been to a wholesale market before, but if they haven’t been for a while, there’s never a bad time to reacquaint themselves, according to Jo Breare, general manager of Covent Garden Market Authority, the landlord and management company at New Covent Garden Market (NCGM).

The market in Nine Elms, just two miles from the centre of London, is the largest wholesale market in the UK and has an annual turnover of roughly £650 million.

Across the market, the customer profle is a broad non-supermarket church that demands the full range of top-quality product. Around 80% of

Jo Breare, general manager of Covent Garden Market Authority, says growers should reaquaint themselves with wholesale markets

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the fruit and vegetables sold by NCGM traders is destined for the catering and hospitality sectors in the South East, with the rest sold into a variety of areas, including secondary wholesalers, independent retail, the corporate sector, hospitals, prisons and schools.

New Covent Garden Flower Market’s foral wholesalers, meanwhile, supply fowers, plants and foliage to the country’s most prestigious households. The market’s fowers routinely end up in royal palaces, shops, market stalls, hotels, ofces, parties and homes, as well as at weddings, funerals and many other major life events.

So how do growers go about supplying a wholesale market for the frst time? “There are certainly no barriers to accessing the market – our wholesalers are ready and willing to talk to any grower who wants to take advantage of the demand for British product in our wide and varied customer network,” says Ms Breare.

“The key bit of advice I can give anyone is to make it personal. Come down to Buyers Walk at NCGM between around 3am and 5.30am on Monday to Saturday to meet directly with the traders and, most importantly, bring samples of your wonderful product with you.

“It’s not difcult to ascertain which companies would be the most suitable for you once you get here, as the wholesalers all have displays of product outside their stand and you can, of course, talk to

a ny of the salesmen or women.”

Jan Hutchinson, chief executive of the Spitalfelds Market Tenants’ Association, believes traders are as keen to buy quality British produce as the supermarkets are.

“This market would readily accept English produce at the right quality and price if they’ve got a customer base for it,” she says. “Whether that’s a farmer direct or an agent working for the farmers, it’s certainly something they could accommodate here, and across the wholesale sector I’m certain they’d love an increase in English produce.”

Ms Breare says that one misconception about UK wholesale markets is that they are an outlet for rejected or class II product.

“Growers and suppliers need to build an understanding of what a modern wholesale market needs,” she points out.

“New Covent Garden Market is the prime location in London for high-end customers – the vast majority of

Michelin-star restaurants buy their fresh produce from our market, for example – and as such, our traders want to buy high-quality product. Their success is based on selling premium produce at the right prices and making a fair margin for the whole supply chain.”

Mrs Hutchinson says New Spitalfelds traders will purchase a variety of class I and II produce, depending on their needs.

She warns that growers shouldn’t come expecting fxed prices like they will get at the supermarkets, but then that is the point: it’s a diferent environment, where prices depend upon the availability and quality of the produce in the moment.

“Coming out onto an open market value is something that a lot of growers have not had to deal with for a long time, and they are a bit nervous about it,” she observes.

“There are probably one or two companies large enough to operate fxed prices, but the whole point of this still operating as a wholesale market is it goes with the supply demand and prices fuctuate.”

Mr Tate says Birmingham Wholesale Market is keen to arrange open days for farmers, echoing the sentiments of Mrs Hutchinson and Ms Breare that these are welcoming places that a re keen to build new relationships with producers.

Nobody is suggesting that growers should suddenly abandon their retail customers and switch all their business to the wholesale trade, but with so many opportunities to supply a vast swathe of the nation, it’s worth giving this resurgent sector a fresh look. P

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An agri-science milestone

The new Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill will bring signifcant opportunities in the sector, the NFU says

Work to allow English growers to beneft from cutting-edge agri-science reached an important milestone when the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill gained Royal Assent.

The NFU said the adoption of the legislation marked a signifcant step towards boosting sustainability in agriculture, improving products for consumers and strengthening the nation’s food security.

It means that precision breeding technologies like gene editing (GE), which speed up crop and animal traits that could have occurred naturally, will be regulated diferently in England to genetic modifcation (GM), which involves inserting DNA from a diferent species into an organism’s genome.

Key distinction

The NFU has campaigned for the distinction for a number of years and signed a statement of support published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture in November, ahead of the Bill’s second reading. It also made a full submission to a wide-ranging public consultation in 2021.

The new law will allow for the marketing of plants and, eventually, animals that have been bred using precision techniques. However, further enabling legislation will be required before it is implemented.

Chief NFU science adviser Dr Helen Ferrier says the Act would allow UK horticulture to make genetic improvements through breeding new varieties at a much increased pace. That, she adds, would continue to be a cornerstone of a thriving and resilient sector.

“Our horticulture sector’s ambitions for future growth and

global competitiveness will require growers to have access to the best varieties, tailored to their chosen production systems and markets, and which help to address the pressures facing the sector,” she says.

“New precision breeding techniques such as gene editing open up new possibilities to deliver what consumers want from their fruits, vegetables and plants.

“Fresh produce already provides vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and we are all advised to eat more for the good of our health. But with knowledge of the genes that control levels of nutrients, as well as favour, processing quality and shelf life, precision breeding could more accurately and rapidly produce varieties that contain higher levels of benefcial compounds or make fruit or vegetables more attractive to consumers.”

Existing work in horticulture

She adds: “There are already foods being eaten around the world that deliver these things: a tomato in Japan with higher levels of an amino acid that could reduce blood pressure, and leafy salad greens in the US that are milder and more tender to eat, but with the same high vitamin levels.

“As well as salad veg, Pairwise, under its ConsciousTM Foods brand, plans to bring to the market seedless blackberries and pit-less cherries in the next few years. Signifcantly, its marketing makes a virtue of the use of CRISPR, the gene-editing technique used to breed these new varieties.

“In the UK, The Sainsbury Laboratory has developed a tomato variety resistant to powdery mildew and the John Innes Centre is working on a tomato with much higher levels of vitamin D.

“More targeted breeding means it is possible to improve disease resistance, shelf-life or resource-use efciency, for example, without compromising the favour or eating quality of fresh produce or the performance of ornamentals. “While the new Act is a signifcant step forward in terms of legislation for England, a route to market for precision-bred varieties is essential if British growers and consumers are to beneft from the innovation in breeding techniques that is rapidly being commercialised around the world. This will depend on the implementing regulations that will be developed in the coming months.” P

Read our full guide to the NFU’s campaigning on biotechnology at NFUonline.com/ GeneEditingQandA

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Government: Complete peat ban is ‘right approach’

Industry fears deadline will have a detrimental impact on growers

Defra has announced its intention to have a complete ban on the use of peat in commercial horticulture by 2030, with a period of exemptions for professional growers between 2026 and 2030.

The long-awaited news follows previous announcements that a ban on retail peat (bagged growing media) will become efective in 2024.

NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Martin Emmett said: “The industry has been making good progress towards removing peat from the supply chain, but we are aware many of our members will simply not be in a position to be peat-free by 2026.

“It’s vital that all appropriate exemptions are available to growers and don’t restrict production where alternatives to peat are not available or commercially viable.

“It is also critical that any measures required of UK growers are legislated for imports as well, so that we can retain a level playing feld.”

Mr Emmett went on to explain: “Rather than a ban, we have maintained that a more efective solution is for government to support growers to fnd sustainable alternatives through funding and research and development.”

An industry united

The announcement was further debated at a Defra ministerial roundtable, with Trudy Harrison MP. The roundtable, held on 26 April, brought together representatives from membership organisations and horticulture businesses, including the NFU. The Minister heard a very

clear and consistent message from those in attendance. Growers expressed their commitment to achieving peat-free production, but feared the current 2026-2030 target would not be achievable and that further exemptions and more time are needed.

Trudy Harrison appeared to be in listening mode, expressing understanding of the challenges and promising to visit growers over the summer to discuss the issue further.

Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) chairman James Barnes said after the meeting: “The momentous challenge of the new 2026 deadline is that it is sudden, arbitrary and unworkable.

“It’s likely to have a signifcant impact on the entire horticultural industry supply chain. This will come at an economic cost, will result in some signifcant range reductions for Britain’s 30 million gardeners, and will hold back the industry’s capability to underwrite the government’s own climate change ambitions.

“Government must engage further and understand the risks and focus on the need for supporting a transition to peat-free that can deliver growth for UK horticulture – these issues are many and varied, from consistency in quality alternatives to R&D to handling of imports and water use.”

A phased approach

In response to widespread media and industry reaction to the peat-ban announcement, a Defra spokesperson said: “We have repeatedly stated that if the voluntary targets to phase out the

horticultural use of peat, set in 2011, were not successful then we would need to legislate. Our peatlands are our largest carbon store, as well as a uniquely valuable habitat. “Our approach has sought to achieve our commitments to restore our peatlands while acknowledging the challenges faced by the horticulture sector in transitioning over the past 10 years.

“We believe that a ban in the amateur sector for 2024, which accounts for 70% of use, is still the right approach. Furthermore, we feel that a phased approach for the professional sector, with some exemptions from 2026 and a full ban from 2030, is achievable given the number of peat alternatives available and the period of time permitted for the sector to adjust.”

Environmental groups reacted angrily to what they perceived to be a ‘watering down’ of the longpromised ban.

Ailis Watt, peat policy ofcer at The Wildlife Trusts, said: “Today’s announcement is bitterly disappointing. The decision to allow the sale of peat-containing products until 2030 does not refect the value of peatlands and is at odds with the manifesto commitment to ‘deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth’.”

The NFU will continue to work with Defra and within the industry Growing Media Taskforce to represent the best interests of UK growers. P

“Many of our members will simply not be in a position to be peat free by 2026”

Securing a future for potatoes

Potato growers have received good news on the short-term future of Nemathorin, but pest control remains a headache for the sector.

Michael Barker reports

The lack of chemistry to protect the UK potato crop represents an existential threat to the sector, and growers are continuing to call for long-term certainty.

Growers are currently heavily reliant on the nematicide Nemathorin for the control of potato cyst nematode (PCN), particularly after the loss of Vydate, and the NFU has been lobbying the government to ensure growers have the tools to grow this essential staple of the British plate.

On that front, there has finally been some good news: in late April, the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) extended growers’ right to use Nemathorin to 2029, with the current authorisation having been set to expire in April 2026. It’s understood around 180 actives were extended as the CRD aims to cope with its vast workload and need to meet regulatory requirements in the post-Brexit era.

“Although this is positive, it’s not an absolute guarantee that we will have it until 2029, as CRD could choose to review it at any point if they have concerns,” explains NFU horticulture and potatoes adviser Rupert Weaver. Nevertheless, the fact it has been given the maximum extension indicates confidence in the product’s safety.

For the industry, manufacturer Syngenta and authorisation holder ISK Biosciences Europe, the focus is on ensuring that the original application is still successful. The responsible use of granular nematicides will also be promoted through schemes such as the Nematicide Stewardship Programme.

The sword of Damocles might not be swinging so dangerously over the potato industry, but the wider threat hasn’t gone away. NFU Potato Forum chair Tim Rooke says that the consequences of losing Nemathorin would be catastrophic for growers, given an estimated 20% of the potato crop is treated with the nematicide. It is estimated that as much as a million tonnes of potatoes, out of the 4.5 million produced annually, could be lost from UK production if Nemathorin were no longer in the locker.

Mr Rooke has been active on growers’ behalf lobbying to secure Nemathorin’s long-term future. He has met with Syngenta to establish their commitment to the product, as well as having discussed the issue with MPs at a special horticulture meeting in Westminster.

One of the key points, says Mr Rooke, is that there are no viable alternatives that can match Nemathorin’s efficacy. Biofumigants such as mustard, rocket and oil radish are often proposed as a solution, but while Mr Rooke agrees they provide some impact on PCN, the effect is not always enough; consistency across varieties and growing conditions can

be an issue, and the result can be yield loss. “It’s a high-risk crop to grow, so the easiest alternative is just not to grow it,” Mr Rooke says. “Biofumigants don’t do a good enough job.”

The best alternative would be growing potato varieties that can perform under the stress of PCN, but there are no varieties available in this country that both control PCN and perform from a yield perspective. The situation is exacerbated by the ongoing ban on seed imports from the EU post Brexit, but even once that’s resolved, there’s no silver bullet variety.

“Varieties would be the easiest way to solve this,” Mr Rooke attests. “It’s an easy answer, but if we had a variety that would control and also perform, it would also have to not be high in acrylamide, and it would have to make crisps and chips and everything else.”

Other alternatives – such as growing catch crops and longer rotations – are similarly unsatisfactory, so the ball very much remains in Nemathorin’s court until a more viable range of long-term solutions can be found. News of its extension of use is extremely welcome, but nobody is counting their chickens just yet.

NEMATICIDE STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMME

The NSP’s aims are to ensure responsible use of granular nematicides to protect the operator, environment and consumer. The initiative has been developed by industry and includes partners from stakeholder organisations, including the NFU, agrochemical companies, manufacturers, distributors and research providers. Find out more at nspstewardship.co.uk

Hopes for a better growing season, worries over water and cost pressures

At the time of writing, many of us are struggling through one of the worst planting seasons in recent memory, with planting far behind schedule. If we have favourable growing conditions, it may help set things back on track, but with every day this is looking increasingly unlikely.

With the planting area down and yields already down from the extreme heat of last summer, some will be keeping a close eye on the supply of potatoes going forward.

At our recent Potato Forum meeting, it was clear that the hot, dry summer of last year was clearly on people’s mind, given a lengthy discussion on water policy and a trend towards increasing dependency on irrigation and abstraction.

The cost pressures that we’ve been faced with during the past year or so don’t seem to be showing any sign of letting up and it’s clear that this is having a direct impact on the potato sector.

Many growers will be breathing a sigh of relief with the news that Nemathorin has been given a reprieve until 2029, beyond it’s original expiry in 2029 (see p37 ). We can’t be entirely complacent though, this is a symptom of the CRD failing to keep up with regulatory workload post-Brexit, and the product could be reviewed at any point before its 2029 expiry date. It’ll be essential now that we are able to show the importance of retaining it while demonstrating responsible usage.

I’ve recently been appointed to the NFU Potato Forum, and I am looking forward to representing both my region and the sector on the wide range of country-wide challenges facing potato growers.

I grow crisping potatoes in South-West Lancashire in partnership with my wife, Margaret, working alongside our two sons.

I’ve previously hosted on-farm AHDB events and participated in trial work alongside NIAB, CUF and ICL, so it’ll be no surprise that I see knowledge exchange as key to the industry and would encourage all potato growers to get involved where they can. I enjoy meeting up with likeminded potato growers and am passionate about new technologies and products, while farming sustainably to ensure a future for many generations.

All this being said, never have we seen such unprecedented global volatility, climate change and food security with spiralling costs of production. The potato industry needs to make our voice heard within government and higher up the supply chain to ensure British potato growers remain sustainable.

Tim Rooke Potato Forum chair

Andrew Webster Potato Forum member

This is Thanet Earth

Growing three diferent crops under glass on a huge scale takes a lot of manpower and energy, not to mention knowledge says technical director Rob James

What do you grow?

We grow cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers under 45 hectares of glasshouses.

Do you grow your crops all-year-round?

Tomatoes are all-year-round. We tend to grow a range of tomatoes, so we can access different selling opportunities and meet the diverse needs of the UK market. We concentrate on premium tomatoes on the vine. UK-wide, there is big demand for Piccolo, which is the premium cherry on the vine variety on the supermarket shelves.

Thanet Earth produces around 400 MILLION tomatoes each year

For cucumbers, we start at middleto-end of January and go right through to November. We use the lighting know-how gained from our year-round tomato growing to extend this season. We use artificial lights, when light levels are low outside, so we can start crops early and with a higher plant density than usual.

We don’t use lights for the peppers, though. We will plant them just after Christmas and will start harvesting from the end of March into April, as it takes that long for the crop to establish. With peppers, it’s one crop all year, whereas with cucumbers you will inter-plant and change crops because they run out of steam as they grow so fast.

What growing medium do you use for your crops?

We grow using hydroponics, without

soil. We use rockwool on a hanging gutter system, which is like a loft insulation. The plants are then watered with a dripper that includes all the nutrients needed by the plants. The control this system offers is much better than it would be with soil. It uses less water, fewer nutrients and the fibre blocks allow us to provide the roots with the right air to water ratio. The rockwool is changed every year to ensure that next season’s crop starts in a totally clean environment with no carry-over of pest or disease.

Glasshouses need a lot of water. How do you supply this? When we developed this site, we deliberately thought about how to be as efficient with water as possible. So any rainfall falling on any building is collected and stored for when it is needed in large reservoirs. Each greenhouse has its own reservoir and we also have a very small borehole

inherited from the brassica farm that was here before, so we also use that. Because we grow out of the ground, any water we feed the plants can be recycled, so any water the plants don’t use up, and that includes any fertiliser we put in with that water, gets recirculated. We even collect the condensation from inside the glass when it’s hot inside and cold outside; this is collected in a double gutter system. So this, combined with the small borehole, means we are probably around 80% self-sufficient in water.

The final 20% comes from a water company transfer main we have running across the site, which is from a borehole site they use, so it’s straight out the ground and also unprocessed.

What other big challenges do you face as a grower?

One challenge is having the skills to grow a crop to a high standard and finding the people with the capability to do this. As a sector, we struggle to bring the right people in and train and develop them, as people don’t

Words by: Lorna Maybery

Photos by: John Cottle

The grower: Thanet Earth

Location: Kent

Crops: Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers under glass

Representing the business: Technical director Rob James

Thanet Earth, in East Kent, is home to Britain’s leading glasshouse complex, which is estimated to produce around 400 million tomatoes, 30m cucumbers and 24m peppers each year.

“I was part of the team that developed this site at the beginning of the project about 15 years ago,” says Thanet Earth technical director Rob James. Rob is now looking after the technical side of the business, including food safety, quality, R&D and sustainability.

“We had planning permission for seven greenhouses and started with three, one for cucumbers, one for peppers and one for tomatoes,” he says.

“At the same time, we also built a packhouse on site. Fourteen years down the track, we have now built six greenhouses with 45 hectares of production and still have one to build.

“An important USP for us as a business is that we grow tomatoes for all 52 weeks of the year.

“The site here in Kent is unique in terms of scale, as it’s so large and also because we have three diferent crops growing here.

“We supply all major supermarkets bar one. Sometimes you need the fexibility of multiple outlets as some supermarkets might be promoting diferent produce or have better sales than others, so it’s good to have a market across a variety of customers if you can as we must sell the whole crop.”

necessarily see it as a career opportunity, but we are a high-tech business and developing fast, with more technology being adopted such as AI. Being able to grow crops well is a skill you learn from the bottom upwards, it’s not something you can parachute into. It’s still very much about having green fngers and that is a challenge for the sector. So having those highlyskilled growers available to us is important if we are to continue to grow our business and the sector.

How many people do you employ?

At peak times, about 850 – the more sunlight there is, the more people we need. They come from all over. We have a lot of Eastern Europeans who have settled status and have grown with the business and moved into managerial roles and then we have the seasonal workers, some from Ukraine, so a real mix of people.

Have you managed to employ enough overseas workers to pick your crops?

Access to labour is a fundamental issue for many horticultural businesses. For us, the Seasonal Workers Scheme is essential, but the six-month period workers are allowed to stay is too short for our cropping cycles, nine months would be better. If we only have

someone for six months, then you have to bring someone back in and retrain them for the fnal three, then they only have three months’ work. So, rather than one person for nine months, you need two, so straightaway you are making it harder to fnd enough workers.

How are the crops picked?

It is all done by hand but everything is designed to make it as easy and efcient as possible. The crops are efectively twisted around strings as they grow and lowered so that the ripe fruit is always at eye height and easy to pick. We keep it simple for people. With tomatoes, we will harvest an area twice a week and with cucumbers it can be daily as they grow so fast. With peppers it is slightly diferent as you do

have to go up in specially-designed trolleys to pick, as the stems are too brittle to lower.

Is there much automation in the glasshouses?

There’s lots of people looking at automation, but it’s going to be at least another fve to 10 years before we see any large-scale applications. There is some automation, like the trolley delivery system where we collect the trolleys that have been harvesting to drop them of. There is more automation at the packhouse, as we want to remove manual handling where possible, so it’s used for those repetitive tasks such as stacking or putting packs in boxes. One of the challenges we have as an industry is when the programs change, then packaging changes and then the automation might not be ft for

“The Seasonal

Workers Scheme

is essential, but the six-month period workers are allowed to stay is too short for our

cropping cycles”

Each glasshouse has its own water storage and CHP generators

purpose, so we have to take some of that variability out of the equation.

Is crop protection an issue for your glasshouses?

Yes, it is another concern. We’re a minority crop, so when it comes to licensing products to get them into the UK, it’s not always worthwhile for chemical companies because of the fees and costs; it’s a barrier and is a business-threatening risk. Now to replace AHDB, the horticultural sector has come together to set up Horticultural Crop Protection (ACP) to ensure we still get the EAMUs, emergency applications and research trials that we need to be able to protect our crops.

Do you use natural pest controls?

The frst line of defence in a greenhouse is biological controls, especially for pests. You fnd a good bug to eat a bad bug; it sounds very simple, and we have been doing this for years. You can get quite clever with it now. When we get

aphids on peppers, they arrive in large numbers and multiply very quickly and if you introduce a predator at that point they will never keep up with the rate of growth in aphid numbers. We have to have these predators in there ready and waiting, but they need a food source, so, we have baskets of barley dotted around the greenhouse that have a grain aphid on them. These don’t attack the peppers. When we get the aphids from outside, we take the barley out. We do very little spraying because

this can damage any biocontrol that we are trying to establish. If we do, then we prioritise spot spraying, and staf are trained as scouts who will walk the crop every week to look for pests and disease so we can deal with them early before they spread.

How are you dealing with the high cost of energy?

We are a big energy user, but we mitigate some of the costs and risks around energy by acting as a power station. Each of our glasshouses is also a gas-fred power station using Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generators. Each greenhouse has its own CHP engines which operate independently and based on crop need. The hot water from cooling the engines can be stored in large tanks and pumped around the greenhouse when needed to help us maintain the right temperature and humidity for the plants. We also capture the CO² from the combustion process and pump this into the greenhouse. This is critical for us, as the plants need more CO² than is available in the atmosphere to support the level of photosynthesis.

We can use the electricity we generate ourselves, especially for our grow lights, but the majority is exported to the grid.

Last year, we generated enough to supply 30,000 homes for a whole year. We also try and grow around the energy market to mitigate some costs, so in winter we can turn our lights of at 4pm when grid demand goes up and values increase and then turn them back on at midnight when demand drops and values are low. P

“Last year, we generated enough power to supply 30,000 homes for a year”

Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Jo Gideon says horticulture has a crucial role

Never before have we been so aware of the fragility of our food systems.

Recent events, from the Covid pandemic to the Brexit transition and the conflict in Ukraine, have brought the importance of food security sharply into focus and sparked discussions about the resilience of global food supply chains.

I had the opportunity to bring together a broad range of speakers from national organisations, as well as local champions, to address the importance of good food from a public health and an environmental perspective at a food summit I held in Stoke-on-Trent last November, including National Food Strategy author, Henry Dimbleby. The theme was ‘The Future of Food’.

Major reform needed

The commissioning of a National Food Strategy was evidence of the government’s recognition of the importance of domestic food production, maintaining our productive capacity and growing more food in this country.

However, major reform is still needed, particularly in the horticulture sector. Business, production and food in the UK horticulture industry is worth over £5 billion each year. From healthy fruit and veg to the multitude of crop and plant varieties that can be grown in the UK, it is essential to a secure food supply, supports the wellbeing of millions of people and offers innovative solutions to the challenges of climate change. But horticulture has been consistently overlooked and undervalued.

With increasing recognition of the need for greater self-sufficiency, the UK must boost its fruit and vegetable production. Only 13% of fresh fruit consumed in the UK is homegrown,

with 26% and 51% sourced from the EU and rest of the world, respectively.

Tech catalyst

Investing in technology and growing systems can extend the availability of British produce for more of the year. For example, the iconic British strawberry has seen yields double in the past 20 years and the season extended to nearly nine months.

With only 25% of the population eating enough fruit and vegetables, we need to put balance back into our diets, with a renewed emphasis on eating natural, whole foods; the kind British farmers produce in abundance.

Technology can unlock Britain’s farming potential. The Farming Innovation Programme has spent £70 million on industry-led research and development, with £12.5m invested in automation and robotics, increasing the quality of jobs in the sector.

Attracting diverse talent to agricultural and horticultural careers is vital and it is encouraging to see an increase in applicants for entry-level apprenticeship schemes and horticultural placements programmes

run by the Royal Horticultural Society. Agroecological SMEs are also contributing to local economies and creating skilled employment and enterprise opportunities.

Importantly, the Food Strategy also includes recommendations to futureproof the sector in the face of climate change. Ofgem’s decision to remove or reduce contributions to distribution network reinforcement costs has made it more affordable for growers to connect renewables and low-carbon technologies to the electricity distribution network. Controlled environment horticulture, such as glasshouse growing, offers economic, food security and sustainability benefits.

Greater effort should be placed on adopting technologies like glasshouse growing to improve water efficiency, extend growing seasons and increase yields. However, only 10% of English horticultural businesses currently utilise this method, meaning that we only grow 25% of the cucumbers and 17% of tomatoes supplied domestically.

Henry Dimbleby’s strategy recommends making ‘the best use of our land’. A clear plan for land use, balancing food and energy production, housing and biodiversity, is needed. The government has an important role to play as a partner, implementing the appropriate frameworks to deliver growth and maintain food standards.

In tackling some of today’s big issues, whether that be climate change, food security or energy security, the horticulture strategy should be rising up the agenda. The industry understands what is needed, and it is important that we listen.

Jo Gideon MP is pictured with NFU Vice-president David Exwood

“Horticulture has been consistently overlooked and undervalued”

AirPods

I’m lost without these; they are my hands-free on absolutely everything and I’m certainly not one of those people that can operate anything one-handed.

NFU Potato Forum member Edward Backhouse grows maincrop potatoes, wheat, oilseed rape and vining peas near Doncaster. Potatoes go into the supermarket and chip shop sectors and the business has biomass, solar and composting diversifications.

Family holiday

It’s so good to get away every now and again. Whether it be a night away with my wife or 10 days with us and the three kids, it’s really important to spend time with the family, to switch o from the day-to-day business and recharge.

Phone

I know I am not alone in this, but I’m so reliant on my phone –everything is on it. I went down to London last year with my family and managed to leave my phone on charge at home. Luckily, I’d forwarded the train tickets and hotel details to my wife, but the amount of times I went to just Google something and couldn’t was unbelievable.

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