The Symposium starts on the 3rd of October and will run over three days. During the first day, delegates will get an insight into one of the largest UK Carrot Production facilities from Huntapac’s Technical Director Stephen Shields. He will also review the challenges and opportunities that exist within the UK carrot sector. Insights into the intricacies of the UK’s carrot retail market will be delivered by Joe Shaw-Roberts from Kantar, a leading data and insights company.
The Symposium’s Worldwide Production, Marketing & Consumption section will take a global perspective as it addresses carrot marketing and consumption, Daniëlle Bruin, Food and Value Chain manager for Bejo, will lead this discussion. Additional speakers will explore French carrot production, and will evaluate whether cultivation and processing costs are in balance with retail prices
The Symposium entitled “a taste of things to come” comprises an afternoon looking at the future of the carrot industry; Thomas Beach founder of Autonomous Agri Solutions Ltd will discuss and explain how automation can be used in a practical and commercially viable way for farmers. Looking at barriers to adoption and real-world applications. Islam Abdel-Ariz from RSK ADAS Ltd will highlight opportunities for emissions reduction in carrot production and discuss potential paths for carbon offsetting.
A key event in the UK’s carrot calendar is the annual British Carrot Growers Association Demonstration Day, on Thursday 5th October delegates of the Symposium will visit the event hosted by Huntapac. Carrot and Parsnip varieties are being grown in trial plots in the field near York for the delegates to evaluate. The biggest carrot variety event yet, 2023 160 varieties will be showcased, three times more than previous years.
Cavity spot trials, Fungicide trials and Insecticide trials are just a few of trial plots that will be available to view and evaluate on the day. Biocore Agri, BASF, Bayer CropScience and Agronomy Connection are putting forward their products for the trials and the results are sure to spark some interest in our attendees.