We are delighted to announce the British Herbs Conference to be held at Warwick University on the 13th October 2022
More details to follow soon!
This June, British Summer Fruits, the industry body that represents 95% of all the UK’s commercial soft fruit growers, is relaunching and rebranding to become British Berry Growers.
Since 1992, the UK’s crop association for the soft fruit industry has supported UK growers to build a billion-pound industry and the largest within UK horticulture.
British Berry Growers’ ambition is for British seasonal berries to continue to provide 100% of the UK’s needs and for industry exports to be 50% bigger than British sales volumes by 2035.
The new organisation will have four key effort priorities:
- To ensure understanding of the British berry industry’s positive contribution to a sustainable rural economy and the nation’s health, and shape government policy to support British Berry Growers’ mission
- To direct world-leading berry research and development that supports treatment of pest and disease, crop utilisation and drives future efficiencies, including the reduction of the carbon, waste and water footprint of the UK berry industry
- To grow sales for berries by building UK consumer awareness and advocacy, focusing on British berries first and driving overall consumer demand by covering 52 weeks of the year
- To identify and tackle the industry’s key risks to ensure its long-term viability and to provide issues support for UK berry growers
Commenting on the launch of British Berry Growers, chair Nick Marston said: “The launch of British Berry Growers marks an exciting moment for the British berry industry.
“The British berry industry is a true British business success story. Now worth over £1.6 billion year-round, the value of the industry has doubled in just a decade. Our growers sit at the heart of the rural economy and our industry is recognised as a key contributor to UK food self-sufficiency.
“British Berry Growers will champion the tireless work of our berry growers, both big and small, and support them as they adapt to the future challenges of seasonal berry production. We’re here to secure the long-term success of the British berry industry.”
The creation of British Berry Growers brings with it the launch of a new dedicated R&D advisory board. Its purpose will be to enable British Berry Growers to become recognised as one of the best crop associations in the world technically and environmentally.
The evolution of the trade body also sees the appointment of two new non-executive directors to the British Berry Growers organisation. Former MEP Anthea McIntyre CBE joins the organisation to advise and support the organisation on policy matters, while Dr Louise Sutherland brings her years of expertise in agri-tech to scope and set up the newly formed R&D advisory board.
British Berry Growers will continue to fund Love Fresh Berries, the organisation’s all year-round PR and social media campaign to promote strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries and all berry industry activities.
The Yes Peas campaign, supported by the British Pea industry and British Growers, have released the following competition to celebrate Great British Pea Week 2022.
PEA-K YOUR OWN PEAS: YES PEAS! LAUNCHES COMPETITION TO MARK GREAT BRITISH PEA WEEK 2022
Yes Peas! is giving a limited number of veggie lovers the chance to pick their own peas for the first time ever
Run by the Yes Peas! campaign on behalf of the UK Vining Pea industry and the British Growers Association, Great British Pea Week is an annual event that celebrates a small and mighty vegetable: the pea!
Thanks to optimum soil and climate conditions, peas are grown the length of the Eastern Seaboard, from Essex right up to Dundee. The UK alone is home to 700 pea farms across the UK who produce around 160,000 tonnes of frozen peas each year, most of which travel from field to freezer in around 150 minutes.
Great British Pea Week runs through from 4th – 10th July and this year, Yes Peas! is continuing its mission to inspire everyone to cook with peas and is providing lucky pea-lovers with the opportunity to go along to the fields to pick their own, straight from the vine.
Interested pea enthusiasts will be able to register their interest to pick their very own peas straight from the pod by visiting the Yes Peas! website.
Five lucky winners will be chosen at random and will get an exclusive invite to the field for one day and one day only. They will have the chance to pick, pod and pack up as many fresh peas straight from the field as they can lay their hands on to take home, ready to whip up some delicious dishes!
Coral Clark, spokesperson for the Yes Peas! campaign, says: “We’re thrilled to be opening up one of our pea fields exclusively for the first time ever! Great British Pea Week is our annual celebration of the UK’s vining pea industry. We are 90% self sufficient in pea production in the UK, so it’s safe to say they’re one of our favourite vegetables.”
Campaign ambassador and chef, Rachel Green, adds: “We are passionate about using peas to make exciting new meals and dishes, and hope that we can inspire the nation to do just that for Great British Pea Week. It’s not to be missed!”
Competition opens 25th May 2022. For more information about the campaign, recipe inspiration and to enter, visit our website at www.peas.org.
Please contact Nina Rathore or Ruby Mortimer on 0113 361 3600 / YesPeas@hatchpr.co.uk for further information.
ABOUT YES PEAS!
The highly successful Yes Peas! campaign, run by the British Growers Association and funded by growers, freezers and machinery companies from the vining pea sector, is in its thirteenth year. The campaign aims to promote the versatility, provenance and nutritional benefits of frozen peas and engages with consumers to inspire them to use peas as an ingredient, as well as an accompaniment, to meals. The campaign is supported by hundreds of recipes developed by campaign ambassador and TV chef, Rachel Green, available at www.peas.org.
The Onion and Carrot Conference is back!
After a 3-year hiatus we are pleased to announce that British Carrots and British Onions have come together once again to bring you the 2022 Onion and Carrot Conference.
The event will take place at the East of England Arena & Events Centre in Peterborough on Tuesday 29th November 2022 and will comprise of a conference day and a gala dinner in the evening. SAVE THE DATE.
Representing two of the largest sectors of horticulture, the conference will bring together the latest industry updates, emerging technologies and research as well as providing a platform for invaluable networking.
Speaker announcements will be made over the coming months, we will look forward to sharing our line up with you.
The event will host a large exhibition area and allow plenty of networking opportunities for delegates and exhibitors. If you would like further information about our sponsorship and exhibition options, please visit our website http://www.onionandcarrotconference.co.uk/. We owe a massive thanks to the companies that support our event through sponsorship or by exhibiting.
On behalf of the organising committee, we look forward to welcoming you to the 2022 Onion & Carrot Conference on Tuesday 29th November 2022.
The Onion and Carrot Conference is back!
The two associations have come together once again to bring you the 2022 Onion and Carrot Conference, representing two of the largest sectors of horticulture. The event will take place at the East of England Arena & Events Centre in Peterborough on Tuesday 29th November 2022 and will comprise of a conference day and a gala dinner in the evening.
The conference will bring together the latest industry updates, emerging technologies and research as well as providing a platform for invaluable networking.
The event will host a large exhibition area and allow plenty of networking opportunities for delegates and exhibitors. Further information about the exhibition options and also a registration form if you would like to book a stand are available at the end of this news item. For more information on our event please visit our website http://www.onionandcarrotconference.co.uk/
We owe a massive thanks to the companies that support our event through sponsorship or by exhibiting. Without your support we would not be able to host our prestigious event.
On behalf of the organising committee, we look forward to welcoming you to the 2022 Onion & Carrot Conference on Tuesday 29th November 2022.
Saturday 7th May 2022
The Chartered Institute of Horticulture’s Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition Grand Final will be taking place at the University of Warwick this year. Follow the competition progress on the CIH website Young Horticulturist of the Year – Chartered Institute of Horticulture or contact the secretariat cih@horticulture.org.uk
Sunday 8th May 2022
The Friends of Ferguson Heritage Conference is being held at Newark Showground. Exhibition opportunities are available for the event, if you would like further information, please contact admin@fofh.co.uk
Wednesday 6th July 2022
The Asparagus Growers Association Biennial Conference, in Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Exhibition opportunities are available for the event, if you would like further information, please contact sam.pope@britishgrowers.org.
Thursday 28th July 2022
Turfgrass Growers Association Summer Show, for information on exhibiting and attending the event please contact info@turfgrass.org
Thursday 25th August 2022
The Outdoor Cucurbits Variety Day will be held at the NIAB Park Farm facility with a full day of demos, networking and a spot of lunch. See the Events page for mere details.
Wednesday 5th – Thursday 6th October 2022
The Chartered Institute of Horticulture Conference will be taking place at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Further details will follow in due course. Please direct any enquiries to the secretariat: cih@horticulture.org.uk
Thursday 6th October 2022
The British Carrot Growers Association Demonstration Day will be back again for 2022. The venue will be confirmed shortly. We will once again be looking for exhibitors to attend the iconic industry event.
Thursday 13th October 2022
The British Herbs Association Conference will be back again for 2022. Kindly hosted by Warwick University, there will also be a pre-event dinner. We will once again be looking for exhibitors to attend. Speakers information to follow.
Tuesday 25th October 2022
The long-awaited Brassica and Leafy Salad Conference & Gala Dinner is back. After being postponed in January 2022 the conference has been rearranged for the autumn. There are still Sponsorship and Exhibitor opportunities available, for more information please visit the website, Sponsors | Brassica and Leafy Salad Conference or Exhibition | Brassica and Leafy Salad Conference.
November 2022
Vining Pea Conference. Final date and details TBC.
Tuesday 29th November 2022
The Onion and Carrot Conference & Gala Dinner will be hosted at the East of England Arena & Events Centre, Peterborough Showground. Further details will be issued shortly.
Tuesday 31st January 2023
British Protected Ornamentals Association Technical Conference will be back for another year, kindly hosted by the NFU. For more details about sponsoring the event please contact info@homegrownplants.org
Monday 2nd – Thursday 5th October 2023
International Carrot and Other Apiaceae Symposium, in York. Information on sponsorship, exhibiting and attending can be found on the website International Symposium on Carrot and Other Apiaceae – 2-5 October 2023 (carrotsymposium.com)
As always, we continue to offer advertising and editorial opportunities to the industry in our various Crop Association Newsletters:
- Brassica Growers Association
- British Herb Trade Association
- British Onions
- Pea & Bean Growers Association
- Turfgrass Growers Association
- Asparagus Growers Association
- British Carrot Growers Association
- British Leafy Salad Association
- Plant Propagators Ltd
If you would like more information, please contact admin@britishgrowers.org
25th November 2021
Defra consultation on the future of AHDB
Defra has issued a further consultation covering several important issues for the horticultural sector. It is critical Defra gets a complete industry picture, so the purpose of this note is to encourage you to complete the online survey. There are 13 questions to complete the section on horticulture and 9 of these are your ‘name and address’ type questions.
The consultation opened on 17th November and closes on 10th Jan 2022.
What are you being asked?
There are three areas of critical interest:
- Should the AHDB Order be amended to remove the statutory levy in the horticulture sector in Great Britain?
The results of the recent ballot of horticulture levy payers showed a significant majority are no longer satisfied that the AHDB’s services are providing value for money and have signalled overall they do not want the levy to continue. 61% of levy payers that voted in the horticulture sector ballot voted “no” to the continuation of the statutory levy in their respective sectors.
To respect the overall outcome of the recent ballots Defra is proposing to amend the AHDB Order to remove the duty on the AHDB to impose a statutory levy on the horticulture sector. This will end the statutory levies in their current form from the beginning of next financial year.
In the accompanying text Defra says…
It is open to exploring industry led proposals from any parts of the horticulture sector, or from any other agricultural industries, who may see value in working with the AHDB through a statutory levy mechanism in the future.
Furthermore, any group of growers can agree to pay a voluntary levy to fund research or other activities at any time. This could be done by the industry working with the AHDB or by working with other organisations or by establishing an alternative governance structure for organising, collecting, and delivering a voluntary levy programme.
No to public funding for R&D
Defra is making it clear that ….
Public sector funding will not pay for research or other actions that were, or could reasonably be expected to be, funded through levy investment.
And goes on to suggest ….
Growers may need to coalesce to provide leadership and formulate new industry led funding models that are better suited to their needs and will enable cross industry collaboration for the delivery of priority research, development, and other activities to support their businesses in future.
- Do you want the AHDB’s application service for emergency authorisations and extension of authorisation for minor use of pesticides for the horticulture sector in Great Britain to continue (EA/EAMU application service)?
About 70% of EAs and EAMUs are secured by the AHDB. Annually they submit between 80 and 100 applications to the HSE (CRD) for EAs and EAMUs and Defra expect this number to rise in the next few years, due to the decline in the availability of active substances.
In the short term during 2021/22 and 2022/23 some limited specific AHDB activities will continue in the horticulture on a transitional basis. AHDB will continue to deliver applications for Emergency Authorisations (EAs) and Extensions of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMUs) of pesticides in the horticulture sector in Great Britain (funded through reserves).
- If you want the AHDB’s application service for emergency authorisations and extension of authorisation for minor use of pesticides for the horticulture sector in Great Britain to continue do you have views and suggestions on how it should be funded?
Providing continuity for the AHDB’s EA/EAMU application service is for seen by many as very important to their business. So, Defra is exploring options for a longer-term funding solution for a continued AHDB EA/EAMU application service from 2023/24 and are interested in industry views on this point.
The remainder of the consultation
The remaining section of the consultation covers
- A regular vote for levy payers
- Extending the scope of the AHDB Order
- Increasing the headroom for levy rates in the English sheep sector; and
- Future reforms to the AHDB Order
Taking part in the consultation
Here is the link to the Defra consultation and the closing date is 10th January 2022.
Jack Ward
CEO, British Growers
November 2021.
The LSA Fellowship scheme has extended its application deadline to the 10th November 2021.
With the additional few days to apply we are running through the top reasons for you to apply:
- 2-year Fellowship scheme
- £3,000 bursary to cover your expenses
- Increase your industry understanding: from Herbs to Hardy Nursery Stock production, R&D to marketing
- Connect with key representatives and leaders from across the industry
- Be part of a group of a small Fellowship group: developing a close network with your peers
- Attend an oversees study tour
“The Fellowship provides an excellent opportunity for up-and-coming executives in the horticulture industry to widen their perspective, create a network and equip themselves for a future role in leadership of the industry. These are exciting and challenging times for horticulture, and the LSA Fellows will be vital in shaping our sector for the future.” Commented Coral Clark Managing agent for the Scheme.
Lucille Gilpin, Horticultural Technologist at DAERA and started the scheme in 2019, she encourages others to apply for the scheme:
“Applying to the LSA Fellowship was a no-brainer – between invitations to high quality events and meeting likeminded horticulture young people, I am glad I did apply.
Even throughout COVID we have had a busy schedule, meeting and discussing with central industry people online. Pre-COVID, my favourite event was at SmartHort, I gained a lot of knowledge from this event to bring back to my workplace.
Since being on the scheme, I am a lot more confident to discuss industry issues in my workplace with also further confidence to talk to other growers about the latest technologies.
For new applicants, I would thoroughly advise to join our group, I have learnt a lot and will continue to do so along with the horticulture friends I have made.”
The Fellowship aims to develop the future leaders of the commercial horticulture industry and is being supported by the National Farmers Union, British Growers Association, The Horticultural Trades Association, the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board.
To apply for the scheme please visit: www.lsactfellowship.org The deadline for applications is the 10th November 2021.
For more information on the scheme please visit the website www.lsactfellowship.org or contact Coral Clark at British Growers on Coral.clark@britishgrowers.org , or call: 01507 602427.
Following the success of the British Leafy Salads Demonstration Day on 16th September and the British Carrot Growers Demonstration Day on 7th October, the British Growers team are pleased to announce our further upcoming events:
19th January 2022
The long-awaited Brassica and Leafy Salad Conference is back. After a 3-year hiatus the event is back in a new venue, East of England Showground. There are still sponsorship and Exhibitor opportunities available, for more information please visit the website, Sponsors | Brassica and Leafy Salad Conference or Exhibition | Brassica and Leafy Salad Conference.
9th February 2022
The British Leeks Agronomy Day in partnership with NIAB is being held in Marston, Lincolnshire. Exhibition opportunities are available for the event, if you would like further information, please contact Pauline at Pauline.sutton@britishgrowers.org.
6th July 2022
The Asparagus Growers Association Biennial Conference, in Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Exhibition opportunities are available for the event, if you would like further information, please contact Pauline at Pauline.sutton@britishgrowers.org.
October 2022 (date tbc)
International Plant Propagators Society Annual Conference in Germany. Further information to be announced shortly.
November 2022 (date tbc)
Onion & Carrot Conference – The British Onions Producer Association and the British Carrot Growers Association will be joining forces once again to host the Onion & Carrot Conference. Further information to be announced shortly.
2nd-5th October 2023
International Carrot and other Alpiaceae Symposium, in York. Further information to be announced shortly.
As always, we continue to offer advertising and editorial opportunities to the industry in our various Crop Association Newsletters. Please see the below for more information.
The deadline is looming for the 2022 LSA Fellowship scheme. We are looking for the future leaders of the UK’s horticulture industry to take part in the Fellowship.
KEY FACTS
- 2-year Fellowship scheme
- Exposure to all elements of the UK’s horticultural industry. Herbs to Hardy Nursery Stock production. R&D to marketing
- £3,000 bursary to cover your expenses during the Fellowship
- Attend an oversees study tour
- Be part of a group of 12 Fellows, developing a close network with your peers
- Connect with key representatives from across the industry
The Fellowship aims to develop the future leaders of the commercial horticulture industry and is being supported by the National Farmers Union, British Growers Association, The Horticultural Trades Association, the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board.
“The Fellowship provides an excellent opportunity for up-and-coming executives in the horticulture industry to widen their perspective, create a network and equip themselves for a future role in leadership of the industry. These are exciting and challenging times for horticulture, and the LSA Fellows will be vital in shaping our sector for the future.” The Managing agent for the Scheme, Coral Clark commented.
Lucille Gilpin, Horticultural Technologist at DAERA and started the scheme in 2019, she encourages others to apply for the scheme.
“Applying to the LSA Fellowship was a no-brainer – between invitations to high quality events and meeting likeminded horticulture young people, I am glad I did apply.
Even throughout covid we have had a busy schedule, meeting and discussing with central industry people online. Pre covid, my favourite event was at SmartHort, I gained a lot of knowledge from this event to bring back to my workplace.
Since being on the scheme, I am a lot more confident to discuss industry issues in my workplace with also further confidence to talk to other growers about the latest technologies.
For new applicants, I would thoroughly advise to join our group, I have learnt a lot and will continue to do so along with the horticulture friends I have made.”
To apply for the scheme please visit: www.lsactfellowship.org The deadline for applications is the 31st October 2021.
For more information on the scheme please visit the website www.lsactfellowship.org or contact Coral Clark at British Growers on Coral.clark@britishgrowers.org , or call: 01507 602427.
