NFU HORTICULTURE WINTER 2021

Winter 2021

For horticulture and potato members of the NFU

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Welcome

CONTACTS EDITORIAL Editor: Lorna Maybery t: 02476 858971 e: lorna.maybery@nfu.org.uk News editor: Tom Sales t: 02476 858676 e: tom.sales@nfu.org.uk Designer: John Cottle Writers: Spence Gunn Claire Shaddick NFU HORTICULTURE ADVISERS Lee Abbey Chief horticulture and potatoes adviser e: lee.abbey@nfu.org.uk Rupert Weaver Horticulture adviser e: rupert.weaver@nfu.org.uk 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, Lorna Maybery, istock, British Apples and Pears, Shutterstock

WELCOME

I

t’s certainly been an eventful year for growers, and not always for the good. Finding enough seasonal workers to pick our crops has proven challenging for many of us and it’s criminal that some growers have seen large volumes of crops go to waste as they have lacked the workers to either pick or process their produce.

Frustratingly, we are still awaiting a decision from government on the numbers for next year’s seasonal workers scheme and, understandably, growers are now voicing their exasperation. We are not alone though, with supply chain providers in the UK, such as the haulage and hospitality sectors, lending their voices to the calls to government to secure better access to labour. See page 9 for more on this.

Looking ahead to 2022 we need greater stability, which can be achieved through a permanent scheme for seasonal workers. We need clarity on the future of research funding to fill the gap left by AHDB, we need answers on what will replace POs and we need to address the unprecedented anxiety being caused by rising costs in energy, fuel and wages.

There are number of issues that need to be resolved and government must step up and provide confidence to prevent any contraction of the industry.

On a more positive note, as COP26 has dominated the news this month, a new sustainability survey of British apple and pear growers has shown high numbers are farming with the environment in mind – see page 19 - and I know there are many growers throughout the horticulture sector that are pledging to work towards net zero. What we need now is more support for horticulture through the new ELM Scheme so growers with high volume crops on small acreages are fairly paid for their environmental work.

Ali Capper Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman

Winter 2021

For horticulture and potato members of the NFU

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

“Looking ahead to 2022 we need greater stability, which can be achieved through a permanent scheme for seasonal workers”

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COVER STORY Our cover this issue features Oliver Baker, a graduate working on an innovative project growing cucumbers in a greenhouse built using pioneering material ETFE at the Natural Light Growing Centre in Warwick. See p38 for the full story.

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Contents

38

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.

06

09 14

19

24

29

30

NEWS AND POLICY

A round-up of what the NFU is doing for you, including our response to the New Zealand trade deal

REPETITIVE STRAIN

The latest on seasonal labour

33

34

COSTING CROPS?

We speak to businesses navigating soaring energy costs and double-digit inflation across a range of commodities

37

GREEN APPLES

Why apple and pear growers can point to excellent sustainability credentials

38

LEVY LATEST

We scan the horizon as Defra prepares to publish its consultation on changing the statutory grower legislation

SHIFTING WATERS

Why two consultations could mean big changes for abstractors in the sector

PART OF THE SOLUTION

As the world convened on Glasgow for COP26, the NFU showed how farmers are making strides towards a net zero industry

UNCERTAINTY IN STORE What does the long wait for DMN approval mean for potato growers?

FROM THE FORUM

With Potato Forum chairman Alex Godfrey and agronomist member Andy Alexander

MEET THE GROWER

It’s a triple header this time as we shine a light on a highly innovative cucumber project

43

GUEST COLUMN

46

I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

Featuring David Miles of The Retail Mind Tortoise fan and Nuffield Scholar Peter Craven chooses his essentials

EXTEND THE BENEFITS

What should the future look like for producer organisations?

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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

Act now on labour, says NFU

The NFU is calling for at least a doubling of the pilot seasonal worker scheme to 60,000 visas in 2022, to reflect falling numbers of EU nationals coming to the UK and challenges recruiting domestic workers. We’ve made it clear at the highest levels that there is an urgent need for a decision to allow businesses to plan. “We cannot afford to lose UK production simply because decisions are delayed,” said NFU board chair Ali Capper.

Biosecurity review

Horticulture readers’ views are being sought to inform our response to a review of GB plant and plant product biosecurity.

Defra is looking at the effectiveness of the current rules, the science that might mitigate emerging threats and tougher action to protect trees from high-risk pests.

Its consultation also covers vegetables, fruits, wood packaging material and cut flowers.

The NFU is examining the proposals to ensure they are appropriate and risk-based, that the right plant protection is available and that access to imported young plants and propagation material is balanced with effective biosecurity.

Feed into the response at NFUonline.com/hort/

6

Delay to digital tax

After repeatedly raising concerns about the timescales, the likelihood of IT expenses, arrangements for areas with poor digital signals and the ability of smaller businesses to adapt, we were pleased when HMRC decided to delay a new digital reporting obligation for income tax until 2024/5.

We vowed to work with the taxman to ensure the roll-out under its ‘Making Tax Digital’ drive is as smooth as possible.

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 within them.

Budget response

Two key items in the Autumn Budget reflected NFU submissions on behalf of farmers – a temporary increase in the annual investment allowance for plant and machinery, and a 50% business rate relief that will benefit farm diversifications.

On the other side of the ledger, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the National Living Wage would rise by 6.6% to £9.50 per hour from April – well above anticipated inflation.

The NFU said there had been missed opportunities to boost UK food exports, to improve public sector procurement, and a lack of focus on net zero funding.

We called for policies that allow the rural economy to take its proper place in the ‘green recovery’.

‘Pause BPS cuts’

Defra should delay the cuts to BPS scheduled for 2022 and 2023 – and urgently review its future farming programme for England, the NFU believes.

We made a strong case for government to press ‘pause’, arguing that farmers were facing a “perfect storm” of challenges including worker shortages, rising costs, disrupted trade and a retail price war. Last month, the government’s own National Audit Office watchdog said key parts of the new Environmental Land Management support scheme were behind schedule.

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News updates

TESCO LOOKS TO LEAF INVESTMENT CALL AS UK STRIKES NZ DEAL The government must show how the trade deal with New Zealand benefits British growers, and a public that wants to see more home-grown food, the NFU said, after an agreement in principle was reached.

The terms will see tariffs and quotas cut to zero during a 15-year period, but protections on apples – a key New Zealand export interest – will go during just a three-year period, including important seasonality restrictions.

While the agreement includes safeguards against surges in imports, there are few details on how this might work.

The NFU urged government to demonstrate how its assurances of “opportunities in both directions” will work in practice, warning that UK producers would be going toe-to-toe with farmers well versed in exporting and could face “huge downsides”.

NFU President Minette Batters called for serious, long-term, and properly-funded investment in UK agricultural exports and a coherent approach across government to bolster UK farm productivity.

“Instead of repeating the refrain that these deals will be good for British agriculture, our government now needs to explain how they will tangibly benefit UK farming, the future of food production and the high standards that go along with it on these shores,” she said.

Read a full guide to the deal on NFUonline.com

NEW POTATOES OPTION? An orange oil product has been approved for use in the UK as a potato sprout suppressant and could help to fill the gap left after the widely-used chlorpropham was banned in 2019.

UPL says its Argos hot-fogging concentrate will be available from the start of potato storage programmes this autumn and has compared favourably to spearmint oil and other alternatives in the Netherlands and in Ireland.

The NFU continues to press for a long-awaited decision on UK approval for the sprout suppressant 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene (DMN), following last season’s successful, but limited, emergency authorisation application.

Read more on p30.

All UK fresh produce growers who supply Tesco will need to meet LEAF Marque environmental standards by the end of 2022, the retailer has announced.

The move is part of a plan to roll-out the standard to all 14,000 businesses in the supermarket’s global fresh produce supply chain by 2025, with requirements for overseas suppliers due to be introduced from 2023. Measures include regenerative practices, improved soil management, enriched wildlife diversity goals, and a reduced carbon footprint.

BUG SPOTTED A shield bug responsible for substantial damage to apple, pear and soft fruit crops around the world has again been trapped in the UK. A lone brown marmorated stink bug was intercepted at RHS Garden Wisley, in Surrey, one of several sites using artificial sex pheromone lures as part of a monitoring project run by horticultural research institute NIAB EMR. The discovery follows similar findings in 2020, in Essex, in Leicestershire and in the wildlife garden of London's Natural History Museum.

It’s not yet clear if the bugs, native to Asia and named for the pungent odour they emit if threatened, have established UK populations. Potential impacts for UK crops are also unclear, with many sources suggesting stink bugs could hit yields, but not to the extent seen elsewhere in the world.

DEFRA BACKS GENE EDIT R&D The UK will break with EU rules and cut red tape for research on gene-edited crops.

In a long-awaited response to a consultation earlier in the year, Defra said it would make it easier for scientists to investigate the potential of the technologies, which differ from genetic modification (GM) in that they produce changes that could have occurred naturally via breeding. Plants will be the initial focus of attention.

The NFU made a full submission to the Defra probe.

While he said it was “no silver bullet”, NFU Vicepresident Tom Bradshaw said GE had the potential to offer “huge benefits to UK farming, the environment and the to public”. He said climate and pest-resilient varieties requiring fewer inputs could prove “vital” to the industry’s net zero ambitions, adding that GE might also deliver foods with better nutrition and shelf life.

He said that regulation must be “robust, fit for purpose and based on sound science”.

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Seasonal labour

Growers have been left waiting, and waiting, for a decision on visas for next year’s seasonal workforce and they’ve been bringing their fears and frustrations to the wider public

T

Words: Spence Gunn

he frustration and anxiety growers have felt over sourcing labour during the past few years has been a topic of constant discussion, dominating the agenda for meetings of the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board and just about every other grower association.

The NFU and others have campaigned extensively at government level, particularly on the question of access to seasonal workers, but individual growers have, for the most part, kept calm and carried on as best they can.

That has now changed. The exasperation in some growers’ written submissions to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee’s ongoing parliamentary inquiry into labour in the food-supply chain is palpable, as exemplified

by David Simmons, managing director of Cornish vegetable farm Riviera Produce.

“I cannot emphasis enough how important making the seasonal workers scheme permanent is for the horticultural industry in the UK,” he told the committee. “Without this scheme the horticultural industry in the UK is finished, it’s that serious.”

Growers are making the case in newspaper, radio and TV interviews, too. On BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours consumer programme, NFU Horticulture Board member Philip Pearson described how lack of labour had forced his company, APS Group, to scale back tomato production for next year. “There is such a huge volume being wasted it makes you want to cry,” he said.

What has also changed this year is growers are no longer alone.

Due to a combination of factors including the new immigration regime and Covid, labour shortages have appeared in many other

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Seasonal labour

sectors too, such as hospitality and haulage.

“It’s running right through the food-supply chain,” says NFU chief horticulture and potatoes adviser Lee Abbey. “They are now facing the challenges we’ve been talking about for years. It’s not just us anymore.”

During the summer, the NFU pulled together a ‘coalition’ of food-supply chain organisations to pool information on the extent and causes of their labour shortfall. The resulting report (see panel) has bolstered NFU negotiations with the government during the past few weeks to try to secure better access to labour for growers, including through a permanent seasonal workers scheme.

The report is supported by results from the latest NFU grower labour survey. The number of seasonal workers recruited up to the end of September fell short by 22% overall compared with what the industry needed. Almost one in 10 businesses looking for seasonal workers had failed to recruit any, while more than 40% were ‘significantly’ short.

EU citizens with settled or pre-settled status accounted for 58% of the seasonal workers recruited and a third came 10

from the seasonal workers pilot.

Just 46 of the 12,368 seasonal workers employed by businesses responding to the survey came via the government’s

“IF THERE HAD BEEN NO SEASONAL WORKER PILOT THIS YEAR IT WOULD HAVE MEANT LEAVING 50% OF OUR CROPS IN THE FIELD” Julian Marks NFU Horticulture Board member

find-a-job scheme or job centres.

The dearth of labour has eaten into the profitability of almost two-thirds of the businesses surveyed. More than 40% reported crops were left unharvested, a loss valued at £13.7 million for the 71 growers able to make an estimate.

NFU Horticulture Board member Julian Marks, managing director at Hampshire-based vegetable producer Barfoots, says the business needs 1,200 or so seasonal workers across the year but has been 10-15% short ‘most of the time’.

“It was particularly tight early in the year due to the late announcement on

the pilot scheme,” he recalls. “We ended up wasting a significant amount of crop that we had to harvest but didn’t have the labour to process. And even when the first pilot scheme workers arrived, we didn’t have enough, which restricted our ability to harvest and process.

Courgettes were the worst hit: 600,000kg had to be dumped.

“If there had been no seasonal worker pilot this year it would have meant leaving 50% of our crops in the field.

The scheme is critical to what we do, but being so short continually through the year has left us with no flexibility to react to changes in customer requirements or to growing conditions.”

He adds: “We attracted some seasonal workers who had finished in other sectors for the autumn, but it is going to get really difficult now in the run-up to Christmas, as most of the pilot scheme people will have gone.”

SQUEEZE TIGHTENS

The NFU’s surveys and growers’ own experiences suggest the squeeze worsened as the season progressed.

Some say it’s because the amount of overtime being worked by those who are here means they’ve earned what

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Seasonal labour they wanted sooner than planned, and then returned home.

Whatever the reason, that tailing-off in numbers has affected apple and pear, and winter vegetable growers particularly hard.

“Tree-fruit growers have been anything from 15% to 40% short of seasonals,” says NFU Horticulture Board chair Ali Capper, who also chairs top-fruit growers association British Apples and Pears. “Those at 15% will have just worked harder and operated more overtime. Those at 40% will have had some hard decisions on what to pick: some orchards may have had just one pick rather than follow-ups, so fruit will be left unharvested. We’ll be seeing the highest levels of waste ever.”

Soft fruit crop association British Summer Fruits (BSF) has seen another big drop in the number of experienced returnees. “On average, the workforce was 75% EU returnees in past years,” it told the Efra inquiry.

“This year it fell to 45% and we expect similar falls in 2022 to probably around 30%, with further falls to zero in the following years.”

BSF blames the effect of the postBrexit immigration system on EU citizens, under which only those with settled or pre-settled status can return for seasonal work without a visa. From this year, anyone else has had to hold

the seasonal workers pilot visa, the same as those from outside the EU – an unattractive proposition if they have to cover the cost, when they can work elsewhere in Europe unhindered.

“The settled status scheme is not and was never intended as a source of seasonal workers,” says BSF. “It is a route for EU nationals to settle in the UK and work full-time here.”

POACHERS IN THE FIELDS

While returnee rates have dwindled for some years, poaching of workers is a new challenge, driven by the shortage.

“We have received reports of recruiters entering fields looking to poach staff to work in other sectors, notably hospitality,” British Growers Association chief executive Jack Ward told Efra.

“Competition for staff has led to something of a bidding frenzy as growers increased wage rates to hold on to people to enable them to meet retailer commitments.

“And while better rates of pay are clearly a benefit in attracting staff, the margins in fresh produce leave little room for manoeuvre.”

NFU board member Martin Emmett points out that the labour shortage has impacted growers of ornamentals just as much as fruit and vegetable growers, made worse for some because

“Tree-fruit growers have been anything from 15 to 40% short of seasonals,” says NFU Horticulture Board chairman Ali Capper

SUPPLY CHAIN REPORT A broad coalition of food-supply chain bodies, which the NFU helped to bring together, is calling, with one voice, for the seasonal workers scheme to be made permanent.

Representing businesses from farmers and growers to processors, packers, haulage, retail and food service, the coalition has produced a report on the impact of labour shortages across the supply chain, with a 12-month ‘Covid revovery visa’ among the leading asks.

This would enable businesses to fill some of the roles in most critical shortage, giving time to recruit and train UK residents to take over.

The coalition is also calling for an urgent review of the impacts ending free movement has had on food and drink production, and for the Migration Advisory Commission to look again at the shortage occupation list.

In the longer term, it wants a new package of measures to build on what businesses are already implementing in skills and training, including better incentives on apprenticeships.

ornamentals have, so far, been excluded from the seasonal workers pilot.

Shortages have averaged around 14% across the sector this year, with trees and bulb crops, the most seasonal in terms of labour requirements, hit worst.

Many bulb enterprises are part of mixed farms growing potatoes or vegetables as well. The fact they can’t move pilot scheme workers between crops makes labour management more difficult and costly across the whole farm.

“Ultimately, ornamentals businesses Winter 2021

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Seasonal labour

EFRA CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION

Labour shortages and other issues affecting the food-supply chain are being investigated in an inquiry by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee of MPs. At the end of October, its chairman, Neil Parish, wrote to the Prime Minister asking for ‘urgent action’ on visas for the industry.

Among those submitting written evidence were vegetable growers Riviera Produce and Staples, ornamentals young plant producer Kernock Park Plants, and several grower associations including British Summer Fruits. The NFU took part in the oral inquiry sessions.

Such has been the impact of this year’s labour shortages, it wasn’t only growers and their representatives who felt moved to respond.

Cornwall County Council also weighed in as ‘the largest rural unitary authority in England’, backing the NFU’s call for a permanent seasonal workers scheme. It highlighted the urgency for a decision, saying Defra secretary of state and Cornish MP George Eustice had already signalled his intent to extend the scheme in 2022, a commitment yet to be delivered.

“With crops in the ground awaiting harvest [this] winter, this represents a significant business risk,” the council says. “We are concerned that due to the lead times involved in securing staff for the 2021/22 autumn/winter season, any further delay will limit [growers’] ability to secure staff.

“If access to seasonal workers is restricted, the likelihood will be that cauliflower and cabbage will be imported from the EU to fulfil UK demand while UK-grown produce is left to rot.”

are competing with edibles for the same pool of labour, so it’s important any future solution does not provide for other sectors at ornamentals’ expense,” he says.

If 2021’s recruitment woes were bad enough, the fear now is that 2022 will be even worse, with the industry well into planning its crops without any government announcement yet on what happens next.

DECISION TIME

“By the end of October, rent has already been paid on land but crops not yet agreed with customers,” says Julian Marks. “And, this year, growers have the extra risk that so far we have no labour to harvest. You just have to plough on in the good faith it will all come right.

“But there are growers looking to get out of certain vegetable crops or drop the area they grow. We’re making decisions about whether to reduce some of the more labour-intensive crops, as well as our overall acreage. And we’re looking at ways to further improve our offering to compete for workers, especially on accommodation.”

With the current pilot scheme operators already in receipt of requests for around 50,000 people for 2022, the NFU has been pressing Defra and the Home Office harder than ever for an urgent decision on the scheme’s future.

It’s calling for the pilot to be made permanent and expanded to include ornamentals; for the number of visas to

be doubled at least, to 60,000, to meet known demand; and for more operators to handle the additional volume.

“The timing of decision-making is critical,” points out Mrs Capper. “At the point where we need to be recruiting for next year, we have no means to do so.

“It’s very hard to see how we can reach a solution given the rhetoric we have been hearing from government.

“Yes, we should be a high-wage, high-skill economy: I think we are already. But that does not detract from the labour needs of industries such as primary food production, construction and care. The economy depends on people being fed, housed and cared for.

“We’re not asking for ‘uncontrolled immigration’. We’re not even asking for a return to freedom of movement. We’re asking for a policy that enables our businesses to thrive through controlled temporary migration.

“Nor is it about wage rates. We already have some of the highest rates for this type of work in the world. Our employment costs have gone up 15% this year, and 30-40% in the past five.”

She adds: “Despite the end of furlough, we have not seen the rise in unemployment some had feared, and it’s particularly low in the areas where most of our industry is. The NFU has tried again and again to help growers recruit locally, including through the Department of Work and Pensions scheme this year. But it’s no good asking us to recruit from the UK if the people are just not there.” 2 Winter 2021

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Costs

Time to restore the balance Without the option of significant farm-gate price adjustment, the soaring cost of energy and fuel, and double-digit inflation across a raft of commodities, is pushing some growers to scale back production

14

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Costs

I

Words by: Spence Gunn

nflation-busting labour, transport, packaging and heating fuel costs have been pre-occupying the trade press since early summer.

But it was the shock price hikes of three-fold and more in gas and electricity this autumn that pushed the tomato and cucumber grower associations into the unprecedented step of publicising what has become an industry-wide crisis, with an open letter to retailers and politicians.

Those letters have, in turn, prompted growers in other sectors to open up about the cost pressures they are facing too.

NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Ali Capper had already told the Festival of Fresh conference in July of the ‘unprecedented anxiety’ that cost inflation and shortages in labour, transport and packaging had unleashed.

A survey by British Apples and Pears, the crop association Mrs Capper also chairs, showed cardboard packaging prices had jumped by as much as 30% and haulage by 12% in a year. Wage inflation across the horticulture and potatoes sector is running at around 15% – and October’s announcement of a 6% rise in the living wage will only add to the industry’s employment bills.

SUB-COST CARROTS

Not only have produce prices stayed unchanged for years, representing income deflation in real terms, the NFU has been hearing some retail buyers are currently pushing for price reductions.

“A decade ago, carrots were around £1 per kg retail and packhouse labour was £4.80 per hour,” says grower Martin Evans, chief executive and director of the Freshgro PO. “Now pay rates are closer to £10, electricity, packaging and haulage costs are all up.

It’s £600 to fuel a tractor for a day’s fieldwork, 50% more than last year, but a supermarket kilo bag of carrots is 40p, less than the cost of production.”

Cucumber and pepper growers are the majority of members for the

NFU-affiliated Lea Valley Growers Association. Its secretary Lee Stiles says: “Even before the gas price started to go crazy, a lot of growers had stopped picking because they couldn’t get the labour. Last year they were paying 35p per therm for gas; this summer it went to 60p, which led to about 10% of our cucumber growers deciding not to replant in July.”

By October, growers were being quoted £3.50 to £4 per therm for gas.

Though the commodity price has since dropped back a little, it’s hovering around £2.50 as this issue of Horticulture went to press, still high enough to force around a third of Lea Valley cucumber growers into pulling out of the crop as it makes no financial sense at current product prices. Some will leave their glasshouses empty, others are renting to growers of ornamentals or unheated leafy salads.

Others are likely to plant later than usual next year.

Prevailing gas costs are totally unsustainable, says John Hall, chairman of the NFU-affiliated West Sussex Growers Association. “Some growers were able to buy ahead at reasonable cost for at least some of their supply, but others have not managed to. For those who normally buy ahead in summer, when prices are usually at their lowest, that didn’t happen this year: prices stayed high after winter and just kept rising.

“Electricity has followed suit. Many protected crops growers who have invested in lighting may not be able to afford to run it this winter.”

He adds: “We’ve also had doubledigit inflation in other inputs such as plastics, agrochemicals and so on, on top of all the well-known haulage issues. Crisis is the right word for what we are seeing.”

The cucumber and tomato growers’ associations (CGA and TGA) point to the combination of gas prices, labour availability and cost, and transport issues as triggering their decisions to ‘go public’ on retailers’ unsustainable pricing practices.

They also blame cost increases across consumables such as seed, fertilisers, substrates and plastics – Winter 2021

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Costs with some commodities rising by 400% – together with ‘impractical bureaucracy following Brexit’, such as phytosanitary inspection requirements and delays on imported young plants, for making the situation worse than it already is.

“Our members are facing businesscritical decisions as to the viability of often longstanding family-run businesses,” says CGA secretary Joe Shepherdson. Gas and labour each account for one third of a cucumber nursery’s operational costs.

RETAIL ASKS

POWER STRUGGLE Worst-hit on the energy front have been growers whose purchase contract renewals coincided with the price spike.

“If you’ve usually opted for fixed-price contracts, this might be a good time to consider variable rate or flexible procurement,” says NFU Energy’s head of service delivery Ben Ablewhite. “This could expose a business to immediate price hikes, but it will reap the benefit of any price falls. Flexible contracts may offer the option to fix for a week, month, quarter or even a season ahead.

“Prices for biomass fuels have risen too, but to nowhere near the same extent as gas or electricity, so those who embraced the renewable heat incentive and invested in biomass before it closed to new applicants have, to some extent, been insulated from the volatility.

“Growers with CHP who sell electricity to the grid may be able to benefit from current prices, as will those with AD plants supplying gas to the grid.

AD plants in particular, with their steady, predictable generation profile, are doing very well from current market conditions,” says Mr Ablewhite.

While some industries could absorb or pass on the extra costs, Mr Sheperdson says that “being wholly reliant on the retail market within the will have to cease production, and UK to set retail values, which in reliance on imports will only increase. practice cap sales value, this is not “In the short term, this could be achievable in our industry”. through government-backed loans until The TGA said growers were the market levels out. In the long term, threatened by a unique conflation of the government needs to consider global, pan-European and UK-specific reviving the renewable heat incentive, issues, outside the scope of the usual giving greater incentives to ‘free market’ drivers. Both switch to renewable forms associations have called on of energy such as British Retail “ENERGY AND biomass and heat Consortium members LABOUR ACCOUNT pumps.” to work with their FOR NEARLY Mrs Capper agrees suppliers to end the 60% OF OUR labour and energy are unsustainable pricing MEMBERS’ COSTS” the key cost pressures. practices on UKThe cucumber growers’ “It’s not just produced goods and to association greenhouses being support growers mothballed,” she says. through this period. They “Any crop needing cooling or have also called on storage is using energy. Apple and government to shape policies that pear growers are facing the same ‘protect food production businesses energy cost increases and there are real from spiralling and unsustainable concerns about the affordability of cold energy, labour and transport costs and storage for this year’s crop. improve access to labour.’

“And although many businesses across horticulture have invested in FINDING AN EVEN KEEL renewable energy, most will buy in a While the cost pressures are clear, proportion. Prices for this year’s crop possible ways to mitigate them are will have been negotiated based on less obvious. energy costs before the current The CGA told the ongoing unprecedented spike. Even if growers Environment, Food and Rural Affairs manage to negotiate a single-digit committee’s parliamentary inquiry on price rise, it’s not going to be enough.” labour and other pressures in the The situation is not unique to the food-supply chain: “Energy and labour UK. The turmoil in global energy account for nearly 60% of our prices has impacted the Dutch members’ costs. If nothing is done on greenhouse industry, which has been these two areas alone, more growers 16

negotiating mitigation measures with its own government.

So far there has been little sign of UK retail buyers responding to the situation growers find themselves in as a consequence of government policies and global energy markets.

“For the most part, retail buyers will continue to do what they are trained to and ignore what’s happening to growers’ costs; that’s the nature of negotiation,” says Martin Evans.

“Retailers will only take notice when they can’t get supply. Growers can’t afford to produce ‘insurance crops’ now, for example, to cover when bad weather causes short supply.”

NFU Horticulture Board member Julian Marks, managing director at vegetable grower Barfoots, says: “Reaching for the import button is the natural impulse for retail buyers faced with inflation and it’s there in some crops already.”

Most energy experts think prices will fall back closer to normal at some point, but it could take until summer 2023. “We do need some support in the meantime,” says John Hall. “It’s eroding profitability, so that erodes growers’ ability to invest. If this goes on, it erodes our ability to do much of what the government is looking for in terms of greater productivity, more highly skilled jobs, greater environmental sustainability and less reliance on imports.” 2

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Sustainability

All growers surveyed said they would invest in biodiversity measures in the future

The future is rosy

Growers plan to plant three million new trees in the next five years

A sustainability survey reveals apple and pear growers are rising to the challenge of climate-friendly fruit production

A

Words: Lorna Maybery new report from the Royal Agricultural University has revealed, for the first time, just how ‘green’ our rosy-red British apples and pears are.

The report, written by Professor Louise Manning on behalf of British Apples and Pears Ltd, focuses on how the top fruit sector is addressing climate change and environmental responsibilities, while maintaining profitability.

The report draws on a comprehensive survey of growers, who between them grow fruit across 4,000 hectares, and insights gathered from nine in-depth grower and packer case studies.

The results reveal that British apple and pear growers are rising to the challenge of sustainable fruit production. They are connecting with nature, optimising resource efficiency, energy conservation and generation, and using smarter grower systems, while at the same time ensuring consumers get an excellent eating experience.

One of the driving forces behind the survey, Ali Capper, executive chair of British Apples and Pears Ltd, says she was surprised and pleased at how much growers are doing to combat climate change.

“I think what the report has shown is that lots of people are out there doing their bit,” says Mrs Capper. “I knew there were people doing this, but I probably didn’t appreciate to what extent, so I was really pleased

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Sustainability with the result of the report. Hopefully, other growers will be inspired and will help each other out with advice and ideas.”

Mrs Capper farms with the environment in mind, and it made her think about who else out there was also quietly getting on with it: “I thought is it just me doing this or are there other growers doing the same, so then the idea for the survey formed. We wanted

BIODIVERSITY

93%

of growers use biodiversity measures, such as varied grasses and wildflowers to encourage insects, leaving windfall fruit for wildlife to eat, and creating beetle banks and bee hotels

92%

of growers are implementing biodiversity measures in or adjacent to their orchards

“WE LEAVE TWO OUT OF THREE ROWS IN THE ORCHARD UNSPRAYED SO THAT WILDFLOWERS CAN THRIVE, WHICH ENCOURAGES POLLINATORS AND DIVERSITY” Ali Capper

to get out there just how much our growers are doing to grow sustainable top fruit.

“On the farm here, we have a lot of environmental practices in place. We only cut the hedgerows at certain times to protect nesting birds, and only bi-annually, unless they overhang a road. We leave two out of three rows in the orchard unsprayed so that wildflowers can thrive, which encourages pollinators and diversity, and we also plant up the headlands with wild flowers.

“We also have bee hotels dotted

INVESTING IN GREEN PRACTICES

37%

of growers are using compost at planting, with 17% using compost at the second application

85% tree cuttings

of growers pulverise their

everywhere, and in areas where there are dead trees, we will pile up the wood, not always where it’s fallen, and create little areas for beetles and wildlife; we are quite thoughtful about that.

ENERGY CONSERVATION AND GENERATION

89%

of growers have grass margins that are not travelled

62% 83%

have wildflower leys on headlands

of British apple and pear growers work with local beekeepers, with 70% producing honey from their orchards (pollinators including bumblebees play an essential role in biodiverse ecosystems and have a crucial role in fruit production)

90% technology

50%

of growers have solar/ photovoltaic arrays

4%

generate wind power for electricity

20%

of growers have electric vehicle charging points

50%

of growers are monitoring their carbon footprint

use weather and crop monitoring

63%

have solar panels to generate renewable energy

20

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Sustainability

PESTS AND PROBLEMS Growers only act to deal with problem pests when they need to. Growers in the survey reported a range of strategies to monitor pest and disease problems in the orchards. This includes pest trap monitoring, weather and crop monitoring and developing networks to exchange information and knowledge with others.

Percentages of growers using control practices: Self inspection: 100% Use of qualified agronomist: 98% Pest trap: 93% Weather and crop monitoring: 90% Local information from other farmers and growers: 50% Pheromone disruption systems: 50% “We have a wildlife corridor that runs through the farm and has a stream Either side of the stream we let it grow quite wild and the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust has looked at it and there is a dormouse corridor going through that area.

“There has been so much negative news about at the moment, it’s good to report something positive.

“I knew that growers were doing things but didn’t realise how many were committed to sustainability.” britishapplesandpears.co.uk

RAYMOND’S SUPPORT

“Britain produces some of the finest apple and pear varieties in the world, and it is hugely important to me that we support our home grown produce”

To celebrate the start of the British apple and pear season and the launch of the sustainability survey, celebrity chef and British Apples and Pears ambassador, Raymond Blanc, attended an event at Boxford Farm, touring the orchards along with members of the media, learning about apple production.

He says: “Britain produces some of the finest apple and pear varieties in the world, and it is hugely important to me that we support our home grown produce. With so many wonderful varieties available this season in an array of beautiful colours, textures and flavours, there really is a British apple to delight everyone.”

Raymond believes that consumers are looking for more from their food these days, and that price is no longer the key factor when buying their weekly shop, although value is still important.

He says: “For a long time there has been a consumer society where there was a push of cheap food, but now we are moving into a different era. It has taken a while, after all revolution takes time, you cannot create a revolution in a few years, it takes dozens of years. Now we are at the point where we are connecting with our food, with our farms, with our values and I think it is exciting with lots of possibilities.

“I believe the consumer, in general, is much more knowledgeable and aware and knowledge means empowerment. More and more we are entering a future of people who are much more responsible, much more aware and its exciting, there are so many opportunities, I see orchards expanding to try to grow new products new food.”

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Sustainability

CASE STUDY

Boxford Suffolk Farms When English Apples and Pears held a launch day for the new season and a much-anticipated sustainability report, they invited the press and interested parties to Boxford Suffolk Farms for good reason.

Not only is it a large, successful fruit growing business, but its environmental credentials are sound, with a whole raft of measures in place to help mitigate climate change, encourage “We are particularly wildlife and to proud of the fact that improve the the biomass wood chip environment. nutrient levels. that we dry and use Robert It’s obviously Rendall, a third better than in the boilers that generation peat,” says heat our glasshouses grower, says Robert. is bought from a local about 10% of He explains that Woodlands Trust.” capital spend each they also use the year goes on polytunnels to grow something green – and beneficial insects called that is only going phytoseiulus, which act as natural pest protection, predating to accelerate. particularly on red spider mites.

“We are particularly proud of the And while ensuring the orchards, fact that the biomass wood chip that greenhouses and polytunnels have we dry and use in the boilers that sufficient water – no mean feat when heat our glasshouses and you consider how much fruit they are polytunnels is bought from a local growing over several sites – Robert is Woodlands Trust,” says Robert. “We proud of the fact that the farm is have a fixed contract to buy it and self-sufficient in water. they have been able to use that to “My grandmother was so ahead of raise finance to buy another area of her time, the irrigation system here woodland, which is really lovely.” was the largest private irrigation The farm grows more than 20 system installed in Europe in the 1950s. apple varieties, with Gala forming Because she had come from Israel, she the majority of its crop, and a range understood the need for irrigation. of soft fruits, including strawberries, Now it’s very common among apple raspberries, rhubarb, blueberries, growers to have drip irrigation, but we plums, morello cherries in one of have been doing it since the 50s. We Britain’s oldest commercial cherry collect rainwater from the roofs of the orchards, and even asparagus. cold stores and the glasshouses and In the polytunnels, the strawberry store it in our reservoirs, so we don’t operation has moved from ground need to abstract any water.” planted to tabletop to spare pickers’ One of the biggest investments was backs and they have moved from the anaerobic digester (AD). “We have using peat to coir instead. Even this now spent about £5.5m on the project. growing medium is carefully It’s a steady income, relatively low researched. “We do trials to mix our intensity manging it – just three or four digestate with coir to improve the

22

members of staff – and it takes out a waste stream that is effectively a cost, and it turns it into an income.

“The great news story is that we generate green energy – not quite net zero as any energy has a carbon footprint, but enough to offset our entire energy consumption.”

Methane biogas generated by the AD is used to supply electricity and heat to the farm, as well as electricity to Copella, the neighbouring juicing operation.

Copella was originally owned by Boxford. Now sold to Pepsico, the farm still supplies all their apples.

In a perfect circle, it’s the apple pomace, dry matter left over after juicing, together with any apples not suitable for juicing, that are used in the AD to produce the energy that heats and lights the farm buildings, along with some maize bought in from a local farmer. Nothing is wasted as any dry waste is used as fertiliser on the orchards.

“We have two engines totalling a megawatt,” adds Robert. “We also pipe gas to the Stoke by Nayland Hotel and are able to provide all the gas they need. We have solar PV on our cold stores and the hotel roof and some of the farm buildings.”

Robert concludes: “We already produce more green energy and recover more water than we use and we aim to be a carbon sink by 2027.” 2

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R&D

continue to work on EAMU authorisations for crop protection products until April 2023.

In terms of where we are in the process, to make changes to the levy legislation, Defra is required by law to set out in a consultation any proposals on how the statutory instrument will be amended. That’s expected shortly.

“The process has taken us longer Horticulture looks at the imminent Defra consultation on than we’d have liked,” Ian Smith, the changing the statutory grower levy legislation, and reviews some Defra official who leads on the department’s relationship with AHDB, of the funding sources now open for industry R&D told a meeting of the NFUaffiliated British Protected rate was unchanged for Words by: Spence Gunn Ornamentals Association potatoes but reduced for “The process (BPOA) at the end of horticulture from 0.45% espite being continually has taken us October. His team has to 0.27%. reminded that the final longer than been talking to The lack of a clear decision on whether the we’d have liked” stakeholder groups and decision has been vexing, statutory levy for Ian Smith with ministers, including not only for growers who horticultural and potato Defra in the devolved simply want to stop paying R&D stays or goes rests with the administrations and the the levy and make their own government, growers are still in the Treasury, to find consensus for a arrangements, but also for those dark about how the results of the proposal to present to the industry. who would like some provision for ballots, to axe the levy in both cases, “Opinions on the future for work collaborative funding to support at will be taken forward. The only clue is that the AHDB has done have ranged least some aspects of AHDB’s remit. In that AHDB has already begun to wind from ‘we don’t want it to be done’ to the past few weeks, Defra has indicated up activity in these sectors, issuing its other possible options, including, for that whatever it decides, AHDB will final levy bills in early November. The

D 24

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R&D example, a voluntary levy,” he said.

He said various alternatives had been discussed with ministers and narrowed down to one ‘preferred option’, that the consultation will put forward.

WRAPPED UP BY APRIL?

Mr Smith was unable to disclose the nature of the proposal itself. But he said: “The consultation document will explain the preferred option and will ask if you are for or against it.

“There will also be space for anyone to add their comments or to present alternative options.”

Respondents will be asked if they are levy payers, and what sector (including sub-sectors in horticulture) they are involved in – so preferences can be linked to particular sectors.

An analysis of the results from the six-week consultation will be published

and a final recommendation given to ministers for their decision. After that, the legislative change will require a parliamentary vote. Defra is hoping it can all be wrapped up before April, said Mr Smith.

A ‘BETTER’ LEVY?

One R&D funding option that has been widely publicised is the proposal made by the Growers Better Levy Group (GBLG), convened by tomato grower Phil Pearson in response to the ballots and which includes more than 30 growers from across horticulture and potatoes.

The group is arguing the case for a new agency, tentatively called the Growers Research Agency, that would be fully grower-governed and managed. A small statutory levy at 0.1% of turnover would cover administration and some industrywide critical work.

There would also be provision for each sector to raise its own voluntary levy, which would be eligible for R&D tax relief, to fund work which it decides on. Further funding would be sought from grants and Defra.

“We’re looking for more than £100 million to come into the industry at an

“We’re looking for more than £100 million to come into the industry at an applied level, which has never happened before,” Mr Pearson told the British Tomato Growers Association

ON THE PULSE One research organisation that already relies on a voluntary levy funding model is the Processors and Growers Research Organisation, PGRO, which has been undertaking R&D and offering technical services on peas, beans and other legumes since the 1950s.

Currently the levy is raised at £1.10 per tonne of produce, collected either from the producer organisations and co-ops that most vining pea growers belong to, or through the trade in the case of other pea and bean supply chains. Average annual return for the past five years has been around £600,000.

The organisation is a registered charity with a board of trustees that includes growers and other supply chain representatives.

Grower panels help to shape the research strategy and guide PGRO projects.

“Year-on-year fluctuation in yields and planted areas means actual levy income can be a little unpredictable but we also undertake contract trials work and pull in grant funds for projects where available and appropriate,” says chief executive Roger Vickers.

“Competing for grants is getting harder, but on average every pound of levy funding is worth at least £2 in other income.

“There are always going to be a few growers who, for one reason or another, don’t pay the levy. But being so dependent on the grower levy means we work really hard to be guided by our grower members and deliver good value for them – and to understand what we could be doing better to reduce the small number of non-payers.”

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R&D

WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE? Grants, consortia and networks NEW GOVERNMENT R&D GRANTS

A major new research funding programme – the Farming Innovation Programme – was launched by Defra earlier this year and the first of three competitions within its Industry-led Partnerships Fund opened in October.

The programme covers the whole of agriculture and horticulture and is unrelated to decisions being made on the future of the AHDB levy.

Of particular relevance to those who have not been involved with this type of funding before is a grant for ‘research starter projects’ aimed at helping growers develop ideas in their early stages. Other grants will support feasibility projects and small R&D partnerships. A fourth competition opens early next year targeting larger and longer-term partnership projects.

Next year will also see the launch of further funds under the programme.

The Farming Futures R&D Fund, for example, is expected to run four competitions, each focusing on a different theme. The first is due to open in January for projects aimed at reducing agricultural emissions. The second is expected to invite applications for projects which will help farmers and growers adopt new technology and the results of R&D. Meanwhile, more than 40 projects are already sharing a total of £14.5m in R&D grants from a stand-alone competition (confusingly named the Farming Innovation Pathways) launched earlier this year as a ‘bridge’ into the new grants system.

They include work led by Elsoms Seeds to improve tree seed quality; studies in the ETFE-clad ‘natural light’ greenhouse at Warwick Crop Centre; a scouting robot for fruit crops; a novel control system for the soft fruit pest spotted wing drosophila; a project on mechanical harvesting for broccoli involving vegetable grower Barfoots; and work led by Branston on wireworm forecasting in potatoes. NFU Energy won £87,000 to look at the challenges of supplying recovered waste industrial heat for glasshouses.

For more information, visit: farminginnovation.ukri.org

GROWING KENT & MEDWAY

Government research funding body UKRI supports this regional R&D fund led

by NIAB-EMR and designed to support ‘business-focused innovation’ in horticultural production and fresh produce packaging. Grants of between £50,000 and £250,000 are available. Applications closed in October and the awards are yet to be announced.

For more information, visit: growingkentandmedway.com

INNOVATIVE FARMERS’ FIELD LABS

Launched in 2012 (as the Duchy Future Farming Programme), this not-for profit R&D network is funded through the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund (derived from sales of Duchy Organic products) and sponsored by BBSRC, Riverford and Produce World. It is backed by LEAF, Innovation for Agriculture, the Organic Research Centre and the Soil Association; research partners include ADAS, NIAB-EMR and universities.

It funds groups of growers, conventional or organic, to work with a researcher to design and run their own trials, called ‘field labs’, on anything they believe could make their businesses more sustainable or resilient. Recent labs have included work on electric weeding and tomato crop sensors.

For more information, visit: innovativefarmers.org

This robot platform from Muddy Machines has benefited from grant funding and will one day carry a broccoli harvester applied level which has never happened before,” Mr Pearson told the British Tomato Growers Association conference at the end of September.

But although the group has been in talks with Defra, its idea will not form part of Defra’s proposal. Growers who favour it, or other alternatives, will have to say so in the consultation’s comments section.

DUTCH REGRET

Neil Bragg, growing media consultant and former chairman of the AHDB Horticulture board, told the BPOA meeting he thought all businesses recognised the need for some form of development work.

He said that many Dutch ornamentals growers had come to regret the decision a decade ago to end the levy their auctions collected from them – and have since joined Belgian auctions simply to gain access to their collaboratively-funded work.

He also suggested it should not be left to growers to fund industry R&D on their own. Other links in the supply chain should now contribute as well, he said, pointing to the HortLINK funding scheme that ran from 2000 to 2015. It supported projects by consortia of growers, their suppliers or their customers, and research institutes.

“It worked and is the kind of place we need to be in,” he said. 2 News of all new publicly-funded R&D programmes can be found on the knowledge transfer network website: ktn-uk.org/opportunities Winter 2021

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Water

Navigating the waters Two consultations could mean big changes for abstractors in the sector

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rowers who abstract water could see significant increases in some costs under a long-awaited review of the charging regime by the Environment Agency (EA).

NFU water resources specialist Paul Hammett warned that there would be winners and losers if proposals currently out for consultation are implemented in 2022.

He encouraged members to keep on top of what any changes will mean for them as the plans progress.

He added: “It looks as if annual abstraction charges could be reduced for many, while application charges for new, varied or renewed licences could increase, and sometimes substantially.

“The world we are moving into is that abstraction licences and permits will be more regularly reviewed and changed, so we need to focus on what farmers will have to pay, not only to apply for a new licence, but also to review and renew what they have already got.”

WHY THE CHANGES?

The EA says the UK is looking at a 23% increase in water demand by 2050 and that significant investment is needed to avoid shortages in some areas.

It says current abstraction charges have not changed for 10 years and no longer cover the complexity of the work it has to do in a changing climate.

The EA has written to all abstractors about the proposals and a ledger of future annual charges is available, as well as an online calculator.

APPLICATION COSTS TO RISE? The EA is proposing significant increases on new applications charges, and for variations of existing licences, from the low current flat rate of £135.

New ‘time and materials’ costs would apply for applications that require work like external consultations or assessments, environmental monitoring, where applications are amended during determination, or those that compete for the same water, although discounts could apply where one applicant

WHAT’S THE WIDER CONTEXT? The abstraction review comes alongside a second consultation on moving abstraction and impounding licensing into the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations (EPR). Defra is looking at this with a view to implementing the transition to the EPR in England in 2023.

The change from licences to permits will be significant, because permits are subject to ‘periodic review’.

“The NFU remains concerned that the site-specific characteristics and use of abstracted water by farmers and growers makes it a poor fit for absorption into EPR,” said Mr Hammett. “EPR is a technically and legally complex framework and the NFU will be seeking Defra assurances that a common sense and pragmatic approach will be applied.”

applies for a range of activities.

Time limited licences would come under the new, costlier regime if there are significant changes at renewal, but renewal on the same terms will be charged at a fixed rate.

For licence variations, the EA says simple administrative changes will not incur fees, but it plans to levy 50% of a new application charge for minor and normal variations, and 90% for ‘substantial changes’.

ANNUAL CHARGES

The picture looks better on annual abstraction charges, where Mr Hammett welcomed proposals to retain the two-part tariff mechanism for irrigation, which recognises erratic use depending on rainfall, and a discount, albeit at 50% compared to the current 90%, for winter abstraction to help fill farm reservoirs.

Examples in the consultation document suggest that a spray irrigator using 99 megalitres a year would see their annual charge fall from £2,181 to £1,783 using the new formula.

Overall, the EA thinks that around 48% of farm abstractors will see their annual charges increase, while 52% will see them decrease. Charges will also consider the ‘purpose of abstraction’, with tiers to account for water not returned to the environment.

The driving factor for increases is again likely to be any extra work required from the EA, particularly where catchments have restricted available water, or where the EA incurs costs for assets that augment resources. 2 Read more at NFUonline.com/water/ Winter 2021

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Investment aid

Extend the benefits Producer Organisations have generated

significant investment support for some growers. Now the scheme is being reviewed, what should the future look like?

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Words by: Spence Gunn he availability of match-funding for investments aimed at boosting productivity or assisting in collaborative marketing has been a key attraction for growers belonging to the 33 cooperative groups supported by the Producer Organisation (PO) scheme.

The grants that they receive have come via the EU Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme, due to be replaced in 2023 as part of the UK’s post-Brexit agriculture policy.

SLOW GOING

The recent announcement that funding would be maintained, to avoid any gaps opening up before the transition, may have been welcome, but growers, including those currently outside a PO but who would like to access similar support, are disappointed at the lack of progress in establishing an alternative mechanism.

“We’ve been in regular discussion with Defra about what should replace the current scheme and how it could be designed so more growers could benefit,” says NFU chief horticulture and potatoes adviser Lee Abbey.

“We have highlighted the importance of a dedicated scheme for 30

our sector, rather than trying to fit horticulture into other mechanisms being designed for agriculture.”

The fruit sectors, in particular, embraced the PO scheme from when it was launched in the late 1990s. “It has driven the success of both the tree and soft fruit industries, accelerating the uptake, for example, of more productive growing systems such as table-top strawberries and fruit-wall orchards, as well as marketing,” says NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Ali Capper.

“Any future scheme should keep hold of the best elements of the current one, especially the match-funding, and encouragement for collaboration, investment and innovation. But that support should be made available to all business models, not just those in a formal PO; and to sectors currently excluded, notably potatoes, ornamentals and hops.”

RADICAL RETHINK

The new scheme has to be better funded and less bureaucratic, too, points out Jack Ward, chairman of the British Growers Association, which administers seven POs. “There is a case for a radical rethink,” he says. “The match-funding element is key to keep; it makes sure both growers and government have a

LOOKING FOR THE NEXT LEVEL Carrot grower Martin Evans, chief executive and director of the Freshgro PO, says any future scheme must have an ‘enabling’ culture, rather than a bureaucracy that seems to put up barriers.

“Collaboration has been a key element for us,” he says. “There needs to be more joined-up thinking among suppliers. A future scheme should build on what we already have and get us to the next level of efficiency.

“POs have also helped growers to develop other business structures than the family farm.”

As well as technical development, he says a new scheme should support ‘concentration of supply’, better marketing and ways to educate the public more effectively about produce. stake in investing in horticulture.

“Linking support to investment programmes of three to five years is also right. Growers need both flexibility and predictability.

“Other forms of grant exist but

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Investment aid

WHAT THE NFU WANTS • • ‘Radical rethink’ – Jack Ward, British Growers Association chair depend on having a project virtually ready to go at the point when the funding round is announced. That doesn’t work for most growers.”

If a scheme is made available to all growers, and with fresh produce now a £2.3 billion industry, match-funding at the current rate could bring in as much as £100m of support for investment in sustainability, robotics, and other technology, he suggests.

FOR US TOO

NFU Potato Forum chair Alex Godfrey, whose business includes a pea production enterprise which is a member of a PO, says the potato sector shares plenty of characteristics with field vegetables so should be included in any mechanism that replaces producer organisations. He wants it open to all types of business, too.

“There are some good reasons to encourage greater collaboration, and being in a PO works very well for our pea business,” he says.

“But if a co-operative model is right for a particular group of businesses, then it should justify itself whether or not it receives specific financial support. What’s important for our sector is to have the same access as others to a mechanism that allows us to leverage investment funds.”

Martin Emmett says the ornamentals sector, which he represents on the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board, has really missed out by being excluded from the existing scheme. “There are already nurseries working together in groups, with business models that would qualify as a PO in all other respects, who would really have benefited.

“Just as in fruit and veg, that support

• • •

• • •

A scheme designed around the intensive nature of horticultural cropping systems, rather than one adapted from schemes targeted at arable or livestock agriculture.

Tight margins make match funding vital to support capital investment and to accelerate the uptake of new technology, e.g. for variety development, automation, storage and improvements in yields and sustainability.

A share of the new agriculture support mechanisms that recognises how growth in the sector can underpin a range of national policy aims, as set out in the National Food Strategy.

A wider scope to include ornamentals, potatoes and hops and individual businesses, as well as joint ventures and collaborative groups.

Incentives for collective marketing to strengthen growers’ positions in markets and to help to deliver more stable consumer prices and better continuity of supply. The exemption from competition legislation must continue.

A long-term commitment to enable growers to budget and plan several years ahead.

Growers should be able to self-manage their allocated funds for both short- and long-term investments, and respond to change and new innovations as they appear.

Less administrative burden.

“WE’VE BEEN IN REGULAR DISCUSSION WITH DEFRA ABOUT WHAT SHOULD REPLACE THE CURRENT SCHEME AND HOW IT COULD BE DESIGNED SO MORE GROWERS COULD BENEFIT” Lee Abbey NFU chief horticulture and potatoes adviser

would have helped both in terms of investment to improve productivity and for marketing.

“I think we should keep an open mind as to what specifics a new mechanism might cover. The key thing is to make sure ornamentals are included and don’t miss out again.

“Something that encourages nurseries to work together more is important, as that’s the most effective way to deal with a whole range of challenges too big for individual businesses to tackle alone, from

recruitment and training to making ourselves more environmentally and commercially sustainable.

“But it must also be open to individual growers. There are some good reasons why not every business benefits from working collectively.”

Defra is involved in discussions with POs as an ‘evidence-gathering’ exercise to help it shape their replacement.

‘GOOD BRAINS’

“We’ve been hearing about it since 2016 so growers are anxious to see some progress,” says Mr Ward. “Many people are employed by POs and we need to know what’s coming before some start to move on. There’s a lot of expertise we need to keep hold of.”

POs have helped growers employ “some very good brains”, agrees carrot grower Martin Evans. “There is potential [for the replacement scheme] to make a massive difference,” he says.

“We are currently nowhere near what a really good support mechanism could be capable of.” 2 Winter 2021

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COP26

Part of the solution As the world convened on Glasgow for COP26, the NFU showed how farmers are

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making strides towards a net zero industry by 2040

s the UN’s COP26 conference got under way in Glasgow, farmers and growers from across the UK demonstrated how they were part of the climate change solution.

A new NFU report showcased their commitment towards a net zero future for British food production, complete with a wealth of case studies and detailed calls for the right policies to help speed progress.

The report comes two years after the NFU first announced its ambition for British agriculture and horticulture to reach net zero on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040 – 10 years ahead of the all-industries target.

With that work now well under way, new report Our Journey to Net Zero: Farming’s 2040 Goal sets out fresh asks for government, the industry and the supply chain to further the drive.

It shows how nine pathfinding NFU members are among those investing in their businesses to reduce emissions, to capture and store more carbon, to increase productivity and soil health

OUR VOICE The NFU has represented British farmers and, in an important secretariat role, the wider farmers’ constituency at every COP since 2015. We were there when the Paris Accord was agreed and, with farmer groups from around the world, helped to ensure that the terms ‘food security’ and ‘food production’ both made it into the final agreement. We were again busy in Glasgow, speaking at a range of events and making sure that the voice of farming was heard.

NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board member Phil Pearson, of APS Group, is featured in the report. Among several efficiency-boosting green technologies, his business uses anaerobic digestion to reuse tomato leaf waste, producing heat, electricity, transport fuel, irrigation water, fertiliser, CO₂ to feed back into the crop – and even a compostable packaging material. His case study shows why the government’s 2018 Bioeconomy Strategy needs to be supported and implemented. and to produce more renewable energy – all while providing climate-friendly, nutritious and affordable food.

WHAT’S NEEDED?

The measures in the report come under three broad headings, with each bought to life with case studies: • Improving farming’s resource-use efficiency – in other words enabling farming to produce the same quantity of food, or more, with fewer inputs in smarter ways; • Farmland carbon storage in soils and vegetation. This is about improving land management to capture more carbon, through measures like new and bigger hedgerows, woodland management and creation and, especially, more carbon-rich soils; • Boosting renewable energy and the bioeconomy to displace emissions from fossil fuels, especially when combined with carbon capture.

NFU President Minette Batters says: “As an industry we have a huge part to play in tackling the climate crisis. It has been incredible to see the innovative and diverse range of measures farmers have employed to make their businesses more sustainable.

“The commitment is there – what we now need is a portfolio of policies to support widespread action, whether it’s upgrading rural infrastructure to boost productivity, the further development of farm-level GHG calculators, or investment in methods to remove GHGs from the atmosphere.” 2

Read the report and get a full account of our COP 26 work on NFUonline.com Winter 2021

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Potatoes

With most of this year’s crop lifted and stored, potato growers have been waiting for a decision on UK authorisation for DMN, a sprout suppressant already widely used in Europe

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Words by: Spence Gunn ood news: virtually all the UK’s potato crop is now safely in store. Bad news: much of it is at risk of going to waste, through no fault of growers.

This situation, which will puzzle anyone interested in food security or saving waste, let alone in helping growers to do their job, is thanks to the continuing uncertainty surrounding UK authorisation of a storage sprout suppressant, long-used on imported crops that are routinely sold to processing outlets in Britain.

DMN (1,4-dimethylnaphthalene) has been available to growers in the USA, Canada and New Zealand since the late 1990s and is authorised in more than 20 EU countries. The manufacturer, DormFresh, has been working to obtain UK authorisation for more than six years and had been expecting a decision by October. An emergency

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authorisation (EA) was granted for the 2020/21 season, when growers were unable to use CIPC for the first time – but it came late in the season and was restricted to a limited volume of processing crops.

POSSIBLE WAYS FORWARD

“Growers are confused and angry,” says NFU Potato Forum chairman Alex Godfrey. “It’s hard to understand why DMN is already authorised and in use in countries with similar growing and market conditions to our own, yet still has not been authorised here.

“We and our colleagues in the other potato supply chain bodies are trying to establish with the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) exactly what the issues are and look at possible ways of going forward.”

Neither the industry nor the manufacturer felt it appropriate to ask for an emergency use for a second year, while an application for full authorisation was in progress.

THE CASE FOR DMN DMN is a synthetic copy of a volatile compound that occurs naturally in potatoes and inhibits sprouting by maintaining the tuber’s metabolism in a dormant state.

AHDB trials over three seasons at its Sutton Bridge crop storage research station showed it is as effective as, and potentially better than, CIPC. None of the currently available alternatives are as effective, risking unacceptable levels of wastage in stored crops.

Imports from the EU of potatoes for processing which have been treated with DMN are already believed to account for 20-25% of processing volume, which the NFU says distorts the market and risks allowing in pests and diseases such as Epitrix species, ring rot and brown rot.

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Potatoes talk to the regulators. Some common sense needs to be applied.”

Mr Rooke says growers producing for frozen-chip processors, such as McCain, would have to rely on ethylene. “It does result in a small rise in sugar content but experience from last year suggests the effects on fry colour are manageable,” he says.

“It’s even more difficult with potatoes for crisps, where the “It’s hard to impact of ethylene on fry understand why DMN colour is too great.” is already authorised and in use in countries THE ALTERNATIVES with similar growing and market conditions to He says growers had used our own, yet still has not spearmint oil as an been authorised here.” in-store treatment last Alex Godfrey year with ‘reasonable NFU Potato Forum success’ where it had chairman followed a growing-season application of maleic hydrazide.

“From my experience, it’s the maleic hydrazide that’s doing a lot of the job,” says Mr Rooke. “Not all of my stores are set up to fog with spearmint oil so the tubers in them only received the in-field maleic hydrazide and were still sprout-free in February.”

Maleic hydrazide is difficult to use, “Apart from the difficulty this however. Its timing for application is situation is creating for storage of UK restricted as it needs to go on about a crops, what’s particularly galling is month before senescence, but while there is an maximum residue level the smallest tubers are about 25mm in (MRL) set for the UK which allows diameter. It also needs particular imports of treated tubers from the weather for best results, not too warm EU,” adds Mr Godfrey. and a 24-hour dry period following Growers of processing crops for spraying. On top of all that, it’s slow chips and crisps – which can be in store and expensive to spray at the required longer than tubers for other markets rate of 400 litres per ha. but can’t be cold-stored because of the “Conditions in 2020 were almost effect on sugar content and hence perfect for application,” he says. “But fry-colour – were particularly hard-hit this year was a lot trickier. My gut by the withdrawal of CIPC. feeling is that it’s not going to be as good, but we won’t know until January or February.”

CHIP AND CRISP IMPACTS The maleic hydrazide and spearmint “Not having access to DMN in time for oil regime might work, when storage this year is going to affect us conditions are right, for potatoes for big time,” says Tim Rooke, Potato chip processing, which can be stored at Forum vice-chair and a major grower 6-7ºC, but it’s not effective at the for the processing sector – around half 8-10ºC storage temperature necessary of his 10,000 tonnes of production was to avoid fry colour issues for those historically treated with CIPC. destined to become crisps. Cold “To my mind it’s a nonsense to stop growers here from using it, but to allow storage at 3.5-4ºC is an option for fresh and pre-pack growers. treated potatoes to be imported. The “Cold storage uses energy,” points industry needs to come together and

ORANGE OPTION An orange oil product, Argos, was authorised in September for UK use as a sprout suppressant in potato stores.

It joins spearmint oil, ethylene and growing-season application of maleic hydrazide as the only sprout-suppressant treatments currently available in the UK. The active compound is a terpene, d-limonene, extracted from orange peel. It acts on the growth points of newly-emerging sprouts, killing the tissue and preventing regrowth.

It can be applied as soon as sprouts are seen, and treatment can be repeated up to nine times in a season at the maximum permitted dose of 100ml per tonne of tubers. Treated tubers can be removed from store for sale or processing 48 hours after the last application.

AHDB reports of trials in Belgium say orange oil initially provided similar sprout control to spearmint oil. It had no detrimental impact on fry colour.

The authorisation runs until January 2027.

out Mr Rooke. “That’s an issue this year because of the exceptionally high energy costs. In any case, given that we should be working seriously to reduce emissions, we surely need to be less reliant on cold storage – another key reason access to DMN is so important.

“There is nothing else as effective on the horizon; we need an authorisation if we are to remain competitive. For processing growers, in particular, it may be the only solution in years when maleic hydrazide can’t do the job.

“If we end up with processing tubers in shortage because they have not been stored for long enough, our customers will simply turn to imports.” 2 Winter 2021

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KEEPING IT COUNTRY

Potatoes

POTATO FORUM Dealing with delayed decisions; getting to grips with virus

Alex Godfrey Potato Forum chairman Fortunately, despite a couple of spells of heavy rain, the weather was fairly kind to us this autumn. We’re finishing in good time as I write this in late October, leaving fields in reasonable condition and, perhaps most importantly, we’ve managed to grade into store with about half the usual number of staff. That’s just as well, because had we needed more, they wouldn’t have been there.

Staff shortages are widespread across many parts of the economy of course, but seasonal work is a peculiar case. In recent years the work has primarily been carried out by people from Central Europe, but whether because of Brexit, Covid or improved opportunities at home, there are far fewer of them here this year.

The government’s standard response is that industries should pay more, improve conditions and automate. But those trite responses don’t cut it for us: nobody wants a seasonal job if they could get a permanent one, no matter how good the conditions or how well paid it is.

We have all automated significantly and there is further we can go – but it’s a process not an event. And it’s a process government hasn’t always been very keen on. For years, until quite recently, grant contributions largely depended on how many jobs were going to be created. It’s a case of ‘do what I say, not what I said’.

Labour is an issue that has hit parts of horticulture earlier than potatoes. The NFU, and, in particular, the sector board and team, have been working on it for years, but getting government to take it seriously has been, and remains, an uphill struggle. We’ve been kept in a state of perpetual suspense, unable to know until after a crop is planted whether we will be able to harvest it.

It’s a sorry state of affairs when our biggest business uncertainty is not weather, what our competitors are doing or consumer demand, but when a decision will be made in Whitehall – and what it will be.

The list of delayed and hard to understand decisions is long and growing. To labour, add the future of what was the AHDB levy, many, many crop protection products – DMN being the most topical – how potatoes can fit into the ELM scheme, how a successor to POs will work and more besides.

In my view, the government’s report card reads ‘must do better’. Perhaps it’s they who should be automated?

Andy Alexander Agronomist, farmer and forum member Spiralling fuel and fertiliser costs have made this another challenging year, but one area where the pressures seem to have eased somewhat is virus.

You don’t need a particularly long memory to recall the impact on the 2019 ware crop, mainly stemming from high levels in the seed. An NFU survey then found 70% of ware growers reporting reduced yields and damaged tubers, costing them, on average, £50,000 each. Levels were high last year too, but from what I’ve seen this year, there has been a lot less of it around.

This is partly down to the growing conditions last year, which left seed growers under less attack by the aphid vectors. I think there’s more to it than that, however: 2019 was a wake-up call and everyone has focused harder on virus management. Seed growers, I believe, have paid greater attention to aphid control than perhaps some had in the past – despite the ever-dwindling toolkit of insecticides.

I also feel the inspection regime has improved; and we are seeing more seed growers having their tubers tested for virus before sale.

Potato viruses will still be with us, though, especially if we see the more favourable conditions for aphids that climate change modelling is pointing to. So, what else do we need to consider to prevent another 2019?

One aspect is varietal resistance. We still don’t know enough about that and it needs research, whatever the final decision on levy funding. From what I’ve seen, virus impacts appear to differ with variety – and perhaps these differences show up more clearly when overall virus pressure isn’t too high? Another is location for seed production. Again, the jury is still out but there seems to be some evidence that aphid populations are higher the closer you are to a town or village.

What is well-known is the impact of late-season infestations as aphids migrate into potato fields from other hosts. So it’s important seed growers resist the temptation to carry on late into the season, and instead stop growth as soon as the tubers reach commercial size. Finish early and manage aphid monitoring and insecticide use as well as possible.

With so many of the pressures we face being outside of our control, we must focus on what we can.

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Meet the grower

This month’s Meet the Grower is a three-hander, as we not only talk to a grower and innovator, but also a graduate researcher and a marketing and online retailer. They are all involved in the production and marketing of baby and mini cucumbers at an innovative greenhouse at the Natural Light Growing Centre in Wellesbourne, which is part of Warwick University Words by: Lorna Maybery Photos by: John Cottle

PHILLIP LEE

Founder, MD and CEO of Evolve Growing Solutions and RIPE Where are you growing your cucumbers?

The Natural Light Centre at Warwick University is a unique research facility set up like a small section of a large growing operation, so everything in here is commercially controlled. The key difference is the glazing material itself, which is called ETFE, the same material the Eden Project is made of.

RIPE stands for Rapid Installation Process of ETFE. What makes ETFE so special?

The critical thing is that this material is invisible to the plant as it lets in all the natural light, unlike glass. You would never get a suntan in your conservatory but you would get a hell of a tan in here. It also lasts for a long time and, if you get hole in it, you can come back 20 years later and the hole won’t have propagated. The material is inert and reusable. ETFE doesn’t reflect light and it’s self-cleaning.

How did this project come about?

We reached out to CHAP, (Crop Health and Protection), one of four UK Agri-Tech Innovation Centres, and they said they would like to get behind us. There were a couple of possible sites for this, but Warwick is internationally famous for research so this was the place to establish the facility. We built this greenhouse using 38

ETFE and the site has 1,000sq of growing area. To put it in perspective, for every shipping container of ETFE you would need to build a greenhouse, you would need 20-25 shipping containers of glass – and ETFE is not breakable. The more we can establish natural light growing, the more we can develop the other aspects of the plants growing here, making this more and more a centre where the natural light approach is accepted.

What other natural elements are you using on the crop?

The natural light is the first step. We use a lot of biostimulants that are naturally-occurring compounds, this is the new science of nutrition. We are using natural compounds extracted from plants. We are putting plants on plants, so it is at the top of the food safety chain because from a chemical point of view there isn’t anything being put on the plant that isn’t already there in the organic plant world.

We are working with some of the

ETFE Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) is a fluorine-based plastic polymer that offers a creative and lightweight alternative to glass. With a lifespan of more than 30 years and excellent weathering properties, ETFE film is becoming the material of choice for outdoor and outdoor/ indoor spaces in a variety of climates. ETFE transmits up to 95 per cent of natural light with a fraction of the mass of glass. world’s best soil scientists in developing biologically-active substrates made up of sustainable materials, beneficial bacteria and elements from the fungi kingdom to both increase plant health, yields and proxy quality, as well as aid natural biological controls. Taken together, this triad of techniques – natural light, natural biostimulants and biologically-active substrates – form the biomimcry approach, distinct from conventional or organic practices.

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Meet the grower

FACT FILE PHILLIP LEE

Founder, MD and CEO of Evolve Growing Solutions and RIPE Phillip Lee is the CEO of RIPE, which builds greenhouses using ETFE. RIPE stands for Rapid Installation Process of ETFE. It’s an innovation he hopes will transform how we grow under cover as the material lets in full natural light, is easy to install and long-lasting and not susceptible to weather damage. To prove the efficacy of ETFE, Phillip has gained funding from CHAP and has constructed the world’s first Natural Light Growing (NLG) Centre at University of Warwick Life Sciences, Wellesbourne, to scientifically prove the impact of full spectrum natural light on crops within a protective environment. His first crop is cucumbers.

OLIVER BAKER

Graduate The vegetables are being cared for and harvested by university graduate Oliver Baker, who has just completed his Masters in sustainable crop production. His role is to ensure they get the best possible crop and to assess, process and record the growing data and to undertake further research into how the growing medium and biological controls can be improved.

GEORGE BEACH

Mudwalls Mudwalls, a 250-acre family farm in Warwickshire, has set up a marketing arm to bring together farmers and growers from around the country and give them an online platform from which to sell their produce direct to the consumer. George Beach heads up Mudwalls and is working with RIPE to market their cucumbers and bring their innovative growing techniques to the attention of the buying public. He is doing this through a partnership with online retailer 44 Foods, which is able to take produce from the farm to the consumer in a minimal journey, giving the consumers the freshest possible produce.

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11/11/2021 11:15:59

Meet the grower OLIVER BAKER

Graduate and grower How did you end up working at the Natural Light Growing Centre?

I ran out of money for my accommodation while finishing my Masters in sustainable crop production, so I was looking for work.

A job came up for an agricultural assistant in a sustainable greenhouse looking to produce the next level of crop production and it tied in well with my degree. I started working 25-30 hours a week in February alongside my Masters and it developed from there.

What are you growing?

We have about 2,000 cucumber plants in here. The greenhouse is split into two halves, baby cucumbers and mini cucumbers. For the baby the sizing is 2.5cm wide and “I did my 8-12cm long. With the Master’s research minis it’s done by a in here looking What nutrients weight specification, at research and do the plants and they need to be development need?

105g to 150g – roughly opportunities on We grow the the babys are 40-80g. how we can improve cucumbers in Originally, we had the hydroponic rockwool with a two varieties; one to system” dripper that goes to produce babys and one for each plant and minis, but we found the individually supplies a variety that we are currently nutrient mixture organised by one of growing is more resistant to disease our agronomists, so each plant gets and can produce both mini and baby exactly what it needs. This also feeds cucumbers consistently. into a bigger slab of rockwool that all the plants have a shared root base in, What do you do day-to-day? so they can all get the same nutrients, I oversee everything from harvesting even if one of the drips isn’t plants when they reach the right functioning properly. specifications to dropping the crop as We have a variety of biological they grow to the top of their strings controls, mostly parasitic wasps and and moving them so they have room to grow. We have two different harvesting mites that then eat the other insects in here. Then we do a bit of disease cycles, one from February through to mapping to see what is coming in and July, then July to October. The what we can change in the future. standard is three. By doing this, we can produce more, as between cycles you How has project benefited you? get a three-week window where the Hands-on experience is important, and crop isn’t big enough to produce fruit, this is great for that. I did my Master’s so two crops a year gives us three extra research in here looking at research weeks of production. and development opportunities on how Originally, I was measuring to make we can improve the hydroponic system sure I picked the right size, but having and growing environment, looking at picked hundreds of thousands of things like having a wildflower cucumbers, I don’t do that now!

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meadow outside to encourage insects to come inside to pollinate. We are currently using rockwool to match commercial production techniques, but will be trialling coir and our own new biologically-active substrates from next year. I also have the idea of creating an eco-label that could promote the quality of our fruit as more sustainable, environmentally friendly and of a higher quality.

Will you stay now you have your Master’s degree?

We have two years of Innovate funding and we are going to be doing some interesting stuff with the biostimulants, so for the foreseeable future yes. I know the crop and the environment and I should be able to find some interesting research to prove what we are doing here is the next step, particularly with global warming becoming more of an issue. The more we can get out of a crop and put longevity into it, the better it is for the UK’s long-term food security and for public health if we can produce a more nutritious food. There’s all this complicated stuff, but the bottom line is simple, if it tastes good, people are going to buy it. That’s the end goal.

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11/11/2021 11:16:28

Meet the grower GEORGE BEACH Mudwalls

What is Mudwalls?

Mudwalls Farm Ltd is now a business that brings farmers and growers together and is the bridge to taking that product to market. We have a small family farm “During the past in Warwickshire near 10 years we have Ragley Hall, which is built up a recognition the embryo of the of Mudwalls as a firm Mudwalls. That brand.

We work closely farm grows apples with several small and plums. I took the some tropical independent retailers products as well to idea for the farm and as well as bigger the name of the farm give the consumer a retailers” into the marketing world wide selection. But our because I am a marketeer, primary aim is to work not a grower. My father and with the British seasons, and to family are growers and I wanted to make sure we are offering the best take that great farming ability and British produce. We consolidate their turn it into a brand. products at our centre in Redditch and So 10 years ago, I came back to the with our logistical expertise, we family businesses and decided I support their best route to market. wanted to develop a brand of fresh produce that meant honest What is your main business aim? provenance, fairness to the farmer and Number one for us is quality and we sustainable methods in production, so strive to offer the freshest and best being at the forefront of getting a that Britain’s farmers and producers better product to the consumer. have to offer. Secondly, we look at price We work closely with several small – we want fairness and value, but not independent retailers, as well cheap. We want to give the consumer good value and the grower a fair price as bigger retailers. The main retailer and our job is to find a balance. We we have a big focus with is 44 Foods, want these products accessible to all. which is an online retailer.

So how does Mudwalls work?

Mudwalls brings together a wide range of growers and fine food producers, primarily focusing on British seasonal produce. Inevitably, we can’t grow everything in the UK, so we do offer

Explain Mudwalls involvement with RIPE Mudwalls is working in association with RIPE, the developer of this innovative growing system which is producing amazing cucumbers.

As a small grower, it can be difficult to get your produce to a wider market, and so we are facilitating this and selling the cucumbers through 44 Foods. We can also tell the story of how they are grown and what makes them so good. Through the website we can tell consumers that this isn’t just a cucumber, this is a cucumber grown using innovative methods, resulting in superior flavour. For the smaller grower it’s often a better route to market than the multiple retailers.

What is 44 Foods?

It’s very exciting for us at Mudwalls to have partnered with 44 Foods – a lot of investment went into it. 44 Foods is an online retailer business set up to deliver a great fresh product from the farm into the box and out to the consumer. We are reducing the distribution time and the mileage and giving the consumer the benefit of virtually picking it themselves. What 44 Food delivers is the freshest, in terms of shelf life, so it gives the consumer longer to decide when to eat the product, but also it gives them a fresher product, whether that’s fish from Cornwall, meat from Scotland or cucumbers from Warwickshire. 2 Winter 2021

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Guest column

As supermarket pricing becomes ever more competitive, David Miles, director of The Retail Mind, gives an insight into the pressures facing today’s retail buyers

W

hy don’t retailers just put their prices up, as we all know there’s a tsunami of cost price increases across wages, transport and raw materials? It’s a question I’m sure many producers frequently ask.

And how are buyers incentivised? Is it just their ability to get lower prices from their suppliers?

Well to answer these questions, let’s trade places and swap into the role of the retail buyer. Then we can understand the challenges, issues and motivations and even have a think about what that means for producers.

The first bit of clarity may come from understanding that, in their retail businesses, buyers are called traders.

Everything they buy, they also must sell to shoppers. If shoppers don’t buy it, they have a problem. So how are they measured? Every day the trader knows if he/she is hero or zero. Their main KPI is sales. There’s no let up.

Every day the entire business can see how they have performed.

Every month is the same – hero or zero, whether you’ve hit your profit target or not. Consistent delivery gets

you a bonus and to keep your job and is, of course, a big part of career progression, too. Conversely, consistent missing will mean an end to your retail career. It is competitive!

So, the main challenge a trader has is making sure that the products they have bought sell. That delivers the sales and the profit. If it doesn’t sell, you usually have to mark the price down, missing your sales value and your profit. Double whammy!

Retailing isn’t rocket science; shoppers will tell you: “Please be in stock of the products I want at great prices in a store that’s easy to shop.”

This applies just as well to online stores, by the way.

The priority for traders is getting the product on to the shelf. Availability is vital. That’s under pressure now, as the supply chains are not operating to anything like their previous worldclass best. That’s where great sellers need to focus, ensuring the basics of selling are in place.

Next, the products have got to be great value. That usually means other shops don’t have the same thing at a lower price. Retailers are ruthless about this and have highly

sophisticated measurement systems in place that trigger on an hourly basis if their products are priced outside of targets. Milk pricing is a great example.

One retailer drops their price, and later that day, others will follow.

The buyer sets the retail price, but a senior exec may drop it. That’s a profit and a career problem for the buyer!

The final challenge facing buyers is that of knowledge and information.

Many buyers are new in role. Faced with a time-poor, highly-pressurised environment, buyers don’t know their industry, category or supply chains, exposing them to real risk. I know this is hugely frustrating for producers, too.

Without guidance, it makes decision making risky – for all.

At The Retail Mind, the work we do with supplier sales teams is all around ‘trading places’; getting into the buyer’s shoes, then working on the action plan from there. We have been on both sides of the table and understand how to get the best out of buyers. Make the information simple and easy to digest.

Focus on how well the products sell.

Build the buyer’s knowledge over time. Build relationships whilst still being demanding and direct with your own needs.

Be sympathetic but don’t be soft.

Choose your battles and fight them hard. Hold your ground if that’s what’s needed. If you can deliver the basics, you will get what you need.

For buyers, it will make buyers heroes in their business, but better still, keep them in a job! 2 David Miles is director of The Retail Mind, a full-service groceries retail consultancy practice. He has over 30 years’ retail and manufacturing experience, as a buyer and seller. theretailmind.co.uk Winter 2021

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11/11/2021 13:48:49

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Peter Craven is a member of the NFU Potato Forum from the flat lands of South Lincolnshire, where his family business focuses on daffodil and potato production. A Nuffield Scholar, he is looking at how family farms can go from ‘good’ to ‘great’ and would welcome Horticulture readers’ thoughts.

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Four-legged friends

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Good friends

Having good friends to share in life’s highs and support in life’s lows is so important. The love, support and balanced opinions of good friends is one of my most treasured things. I am so lucky to have collected so many friends from every part of my life, with all of them bringing so much joy and happiness to me.

One scoop of good chocolate ice cream

This is a guilty pleasure that I love, especially whenever I am out for supper. And, for me, chocolate ice cream must have chocolate pieces in it!

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11/11/2021 11:17:17

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