British Growers

The Agriculture Bills passage through parliament will start to speed up following the decision to postpone the date for the UKs exit from the EU. Following a meeting with Defra staff, Jack reports that we could start to see the Bill continue on its path through the parliamentary process in May. (there has been virtually no progress on the Bill since the Committee stages in November). There are several aspects of the Bill which are of particular interest to the fresh produce industry. The Govt is keen to support increased productivity and discussions are starting to take place on what this might entail. The section on POs is another area where the fresh produce industry will be taking a keen interest. We have started to give some thought to how a replacement scheme might operate so we are on the front foot with our proposals. Work on the Food Strategy is also moving forward. There has been a lot of talk about the role which fresh produce could take in delivering a healthier nation. The Food Strategy is an ideal opportunity to see this message turned into something tangible which lends more support and encouragement to need to increase our daily intake of fruit and veg.

Many new initiatives affecting the sector have been on hold while parliamentary time has been taken up with Brexit. Now that a no deal scenario is looking less likely, the Government machine will be returning to a more ‘business as normal’ pattern of operation. This should mean that the discussions on the detail of the new Agriculture Bill will start to accelerate. Expect busy times ahead.

Mushroom Growers have given the go ahead for a new group to represent their industry. Despite being the second largest vegetable category by value in the UK, mushroom growers have had not formal group to represent their interests since the demise of the Mushroom Growers Association in 2005.

At the recent AHDB Mushroom conference Growers agreed to go ahead and establish a new grower group.

The principle remit of the group will be to guide the use of grower levies spent on R&D through the creation of a R&D strategy for the Mushroom sector;

Work with AHDB and members of the protected edibles panel to identify relevant and suitable R&D projects. And to monitor and feedback on the delivery of these projects.

Create opportunities for knowledge transfer and set up technical days, conferences and seminars to disseminate industry best practice

Speaking at the conference Jack Ward, CEO of British Growers said,

“The industry needs to raise the profile of the mushroom sector and build its credibility as a high-tech forward-looking industry making a positive and valued contribution to the UK food chain and the UK economy. On behalf of the sector we need to ensure that its voice is heard by key decision makers and stakeholders.”

The new group will be open to both mushroom growers and allied trades. Anyone interested in joining the Group should contact admin@britishgrower.org.