GREEN APPLES

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

Anew 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

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 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

93% of growers use biodiversity measures, such as varied grasses and wildflowers to everywhere, and in areas where there encourage insects, leaving are dead trees, we will pile up the windfall fruit for wildlife to eat, wood, not always where it’s fallen, and creating beetle banks and and create little areas for beetles and bee hotels wildlife; we are quite thoughtful 92% of growers are implementing about that. biodiversity measures in or adjacent to their orchards 89% of growers have grass margins that are not travelled 62% have wildflower leys on headlands 83% 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% use weather and crop monitoring technology 63% have solar panels to generate renewable energy

37% of growers are using compost at planting, with 17% using compost at the second application

85% of growers pulverise their tree cuttings

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.

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.”

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.”

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 wildlife and to improve the environment.

Robert Rendall, a third generation grower, says about 10% of capital spend each year goes on something green – and that is only going to accelerate.

“We are particularly proud of the fact that the biomass wood chip that we dry and use in the boilers that heat our glasshouses and polytunnels is bought from a local Woodlands Trust,” says Robert. “We have a fixed contract to buy it and they have been able to use that to raise finance to buy another area of woodland, which is really lovely.”

The farm grows more than 20 apple varieties, with Gala forming the majority of its crop, and a range of soft fruits, including strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, blueberries, plums, morello cherries in one of Britain’s oldest commercial cherry orchards, and even asparagus.

In the polytunnels, the strawberry operation has moved from ground planted to tabletop to spare pickers’ backs and they have moved from using peat to coir instead. Even this growing medium is carefully researched. “We do trials to mix our digestate with coir to improve the nutrient levels. It’s obviously better than peat,” says Robert. He explains that they also use the polytunnels to grow beneficial insects called phytoseiulus, which act as natural pest protection, predating particularly on red spider mites.

And while ensuring the orchards, greenhouses and polytunnels have sufficient water – no mean feat when you consider how much fruit they are growing over several sites – Robert is proud of the fact that the farm is self-sufficient in water.

“My grandmother was so ahead of her time, the irrigation system here was the largest private irrigation system installed in Europe in the 1950s. Because she had come from Israel, she understood the need for irrigation. Now it’s very common among apple growers to have drip irrigation, but we have been doing it since the 50s. We collect rainwater from the roofs of the cold stores and the glasshouses and store it in our reservoirs, so we don’t need to abstract any water.”

One of the biggest investments was the anaerobic digester (AD). “We have now spent about £5.5m on the project. It’s a steady income, relatively low intensity manging it – just three or four

the biomass wood chip that we dry and use members of staff – and it takes out a waste stream that is effectively a in the boilers that cost, and it turns it into an income. heat our glasshouses “The great news story is that we is bought from a local Woodlands Trust.” 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.” P