Press Release June 2022

British Growers Association Announces New Client Partnership

British Growers Association is delighted to announce the Responsible Sourcing Scheme Ltd has chosen British Growers to manage their administration and accounting services. They will be joining 28 other groups within the horticultural and fresh produce industries, which currently make up the British Growers Membership.

The Responsible Sourcing Scheme (RSS) is an industry led collaboration of growing media manufacturers, retailers, growers, DEFRA, the HTA and NGOs, like RHS and Plantlife. Created in advance of the Government’s plan to ban the use of peat within the amateur sector by 2024, and in the professional sector by the end of 2028, the scheme is designed to encourage the industry to commit to a sustainable and peat-free future, and to ensure that materials used as an alternative to peat are as responsibly sourced as possible.

Lisa Eagles Operations Director at British Growers commented “British Growers is delighted to have aligned itself with a worthy scheme and are pleased that the RSS objectives aligns so closely with British Growers own; namely to support the safeguarding of the UK horticultural sector. British Growers provision of shared administrative and accountancy services will allow the scheme to fulfil its own objectives of ensuring the future sustainability of the industry.”

The primary objective of the RSS is to promote sustainability within the growing media industry, by allowing manufacturers and users of growing media to understand and measure how their choice of growing media materials impacts on seven criteria. These criteria include, energy use, water use, social compliance, habitat and biodiversity, pollution, renewability, and resource use efficiency. The scheme went live at the beginning of 2022, and with many of the UK’s major manufacturers already signed up, the RSS logo will start to appear on bags of growing media throughout the year.

Steve Harper, CEO at Southern Trident Limited and Chairman of the Responsible Sourcing Scheme said “The Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media are delighted to be working with the BGA to administer the scheme on an ongoing basis. It’s great to see the scheme now welcoming both new member manufacturers and retailers, the new website and the logos on pack. Andy Smith who has joined the BGA to administer the RSS for us allows us to be more professional and proactive as the scheme continues to grow. We look forward to forging a long and positive relationship with both Andy and the BGA.”

If you would like more information about the scheme, please visit the RSS website, or alternatively e-mail info@responsiblesourcing.org.uk

The Onion and Carrot Conference is back for 2022.

The Associations for British Carrots and British Onions have come together once again to bring you the 2022 Onion & Carrot Conference, taking place at the East of England Arena & Events Centre in Peterborough on Tuesday 29th November 2022

The organising committee are pleased to announce that Elsoms and Bejo Zaden will be taking on one of the Conference’s Main Sponsor slots. We are thrilled to have the support of such prestigious companies to assist in the support and organisation of the industry’s conference.

“As the key supplier of Carrot and Onion seeds to UK Growers Bejo/Elsoms are proud and delighted to support the Carrot and Onion Conference this year. It is great news that the BCGA and BOPA are able to hold the event again and we look forward to a great conference and dinner. We’re sure it will be a great success and wish everyone all the best after what has been a very challenging few years for the industry. It will be a really good opportunity to meet with everyone again and catch up on technical updates”

Chris Bettison, Elsoms

We would also like to take this opportunity to report that Stourgarden will be sponsoring the Conference Programme, Hazera have agreed to sponsor the Gala Dinner Drinks Reception and Moulton Bulb Co are kindly sponsoring the Gala Dinner Wine.

We owe a massive thanks to the companies that support our event through sponsorship and exhibiting at the event.

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/.

Speaker announcements will be made over the coming months, we will look forward to sharing our line up with you.

We are also pleased to announce that ticket sales are now on sale. Buy your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/onion-carrot-conference-2022-tickets-290282933067

On behalf of the organising committee, we look forward to welcoming you to the 2022 Onion & Carrot Conference on Tuesday 29th November 2022.

Save The Date – Thursday 28^th July 2022

The Turfgrass Growers Association are pleased to announce that the Turfgrass Summer Show is returning for 2022.

Following on from the success of the 2020 event , we are pleased to now announce the date for this year’s event Thursday 28^th July. Turffit have very kindly offered to host the 2022 event. We are looking forward to welcoming all the members and the turfgrass industry to Kinross, Scotland.

This event attracts all those involved in turfgrass production, from growers to the ancillary industry and will host an excellent exhibition and demonstration to provide a great interactive opportunity for those who attend. Further information will be announced in the coming few weeks.

The event will also be registered for both BASIS and NRoSO points which will be available on the day. It’s an event not to be missed!

For more information, please contact admin@britishgrowers.org or visit TGA Summer Show 2022 – The Turfgrass Growers Association

On behalf of the organising committee, we look forward to welcoming you to the 2022 Turfgrass Growers Summer Show on Thursday 28th July 2022.

City Harvest: Harvest for Hunger 2022
Rescuing Food, People, and the Planet

PRESS RELEASE
ISSUE DATE: 14th March 2022

March – October 2022. Working with farms and producers, City Harvest launches its second annual
‘Harvest for Hunger’ campaign, aiming to rescue nutritious food for 2 million meals. Responsive and
reliable when organising redistribution, City Harvest collects quality surplus and donated stock, from
farms and food producers across the UK, delivering it, free of charge, to 350+ charities feeding people
unable to afford healthy food.

Currently, 5 million people face food poverty in the UK and with the cost of living rising, City Harvest
is creating solutions. LEAF-accredited City Harvest supports sustainable farming with free surplus
produce collections, whilst offering maximum social impact. The Harvest for Hunger initiative enables
City Harvest to access food earlier on in the supply chain to be transformed into healthy meals for
those who need it most.

City Harvest’s Head of Food, Dan McAlpine, says, “City Harvest prides itself on understanding the
challenges producers and packers face with surpluses. The growers we speak to are so passionate
about their food not being wasted. Last year was such a success, we are keen to create more
meaningful relationships and life-changing channels for surplus.”

In 2021 G’s Group worked with City Harvest, becoming a sustainable farm partner. Chief Executive,
Guy Shropshire, says,
“G’s looks forward to working with City Harvest to support the further redistribution of surplus. G’s is
committed, not only to reducing our overall food waste, but proactively ensuring a larger proportion
of our surplus ends up in ‘value add’ destinations. City Harvest tackles surplus food and food poverty
in a positive and sustainable way.”

City Harvest surplus food recipient, Athleen, Hammersmith & Fulham, says,
“I am so grateful for the fresh food provided. The quality of the food is amazing, things I have never
tried before! My children always look forward to what will be in the box! It has really helped, as the
money I save goes towards the rising cost of bills.”

Supported by WRAP, Will McManus, Sector Specialist, WRAP explains,
“WRAP helps growers tackle food waste because it represents valuable nutrition and because wasting
food feeds climate change. This is a challenge that no business can solve alone, and we commend the
increasing number of growers collaborating with City Harvest’s flexible and cost-free solution to help
people and planet.”

City Harvest London
Est. 2014, City Harvest collects nutritious surplus food from manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers, and delivers,
for free, to 350+ London charities feeding those facing food poverty. City Harvest rescues food, people, and
planet by preventing food waste, providing life-changing support to communities in every London borough
through food, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from waste.

https://www.cityharvest.org.uk/blog/harvest-for-hunger-2022

Following on from the unfortunate news that the Brassica & Leafy Salad Conference would be postponed until the autumn, the organising committee is pleased to announce a new date for your diaries:

Brassica & Leafy Salad Conference

Tuesday 25 October 2022

East of England Arena & Events Centre, Peterborough

The conference will bring together the latest industry updates, emerging technologies and research as well as providing a platform for invaluable networking.  The programme will also include both marketing and technical presentations from within the UK as well as worldwide.

The event will host a large exhibition area – exhibitors booked in already can be viewed on our website: Exhibition | Brassica and Leafy Salad Conference

Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities for the industry-leading event are still available, please contact admin@britishgrowers.org for more information or visit our website www.brassicaandleafysaladconference.co.uk

All delegate ticket sales will be automatically transferred to the new event date.  Delegate tickets are available via Eventbrite, follow this link to secure your tickets.

A huge thank you to all our speakers, sponsors, trade, and delegates for your continued support of the Brassica & Leafy Salad Conference.

On behalf of the Brassica & Leafy Salad organising committee we look forward to welcoming you to the Brassica & Leafy Salad Conference on Tuesday 25 October 2022.

In the light of the very high Covid infection rates which the country is currently experiencing, the Brassica & Leafy Salad Conference organising committee have met and agreed that the Brassica & Leafy Salad Conference be postponed until the autumn.

We have been monitoring announcements from the Government and developments across the UK in respect of pandemic and the Omicron variant.  Delegate and speaker safety is and always will be our primary concern.  Although the Government did not announce further restrictions yesterday, we are operating to the Government’s Plan B including the guidance of working from home and daily lateral flow tests for critical/essential workers including food processing concerns.  Covid figures are escalating, the NHS is working under critical incident measures, and mass absenteeism is being experienced by companies and services up and down the country.

With the mounting concern nationally and internationally, combined with the lack of clarity about the weeks ahead with medical experts reporting the next few weeks will be critical, made this decision inevitable.

Although postponing an event is never pleasant, we hope that as the country recovers from our battle with Covid we will be able to enjoy a superb conference in the autumn at the East of England Arena & Events Centre.

A huge thank you to all our speakers, sponsors, trade, and delegates that support the Brassica & Leafy Salad Conference, and a revised date will be issued shortly.

The Brassica and Leafy Salad is less than 2 months away! After 3 years the event will return to Peterborough to represent two of the largest sectors of horticulture.

We are pleased to announce our headline speakers for the conference. All the way from Australia (with the help of the internet) Graeme Sait. Graeme is the co-founder of a Queensland Company, Nutri-Tech Solutions (NTS), a recognised world leader in sustainable agriculture/horticulture. He is currently working on two new books covering soil, plant, environmental and human health issues. His communication skills are most evident during his passionate, charismatic presentations which are often described as “life-changing” and “inspirational”.

Also confirmed to speak at the conference is Professor Simon Pearson, Director, Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology. Simon will be joining the conference line up to update the audience on the DEFRA automation review and the work that is underway at the University.

Ben Taylor, Regenerative Consultant, who may be better known as Regenben from his vast following on Twitter, will be speaking to the delegates on “The healthy food dichotomy.” Follow Ben now.

Dan Parker presented at the conference in 2019, launching the Veg Power campaign and the massive plans. He is returning to the 2022 conference to update the audience on the work done so far and the plans in the pipeline.

Further speakers will be announced soon. Follow us on twitter for the latest announcements @BLSAconference

The event will host a large exhibition area – exhibitors booked in already can be viewed on our website: Exhibition | Brassica and Leafy Salad Conference

To date we are pleased to confirm our Sponsors:

• The Brassica Technical session is being kindly sponsored by Syngenta UK Ltd.
• The Evening Dinner is being kindly sponsored by Sakata UK Ltd.
• The Conference Programme is being kindly sponsored by Elsoms Seeds.
• The Lunch is being kindly sponsored by Enza Zaden UK Ltd.
• The Evening Drinks Reception is being kindly sponsored by Hazera Seeds UK Ltd.
• The Evening Dinner Wine is being kindly sponsored by FMC.

We owe a massive thanks to the companies that support our event through sponsorship or by exhibiting. Without their generous contributions we would not be able to host our prestigious event.

Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities for the industry-leading event are still available, please contact admin@britishgrowers.org for more information or visit our website www.brassicaandleafysaladconference.co.uk

On behalf of the organising committee, we look forward to welcoming you to the Brassica & Leafy Conference on Wednesday 19th January 2022.