Pictures of empty supermarket shelves and rationing of protected crops like tomatoes and cucumbers has suddenly rocket-launched the food security issue, and the crisis in fresh produce that we’ve been warning about for months, to the top of the national news agenda.
Coinciding with the NFU Conference, this news helped NFU President Minette Batters to get even more attention in emphasising our concerns. The next General Election is on the horizon, so the Conference delegates were treated to a video message from the Prime Minister and a live speech from the Leader of the Opposition, Sir Kier Starmer. Suddenly the rural vote is seen as important, and attention is swinging our way. Labour is promising to undo the damage caused by limiting seasonal workers. Sir Kier promised; “A model where you’re not nervously waiting each year to see if you have the staff, and where whoever is in power, you’re less dependent on the Home Office to stop food rotting in your fields.” Also at the event, Defra farming minister Mark Spencer confirmed that workers on the visa scheme will no longer have to be paid a premium over other farm workers, just the national living wage from 1 April. Finally, a significant win for horticulture. Can we expect more?
Fears that our orchards could ‘disappear like the dinosaurs’ are nothing new. This month’s Comment recalls the mass lobby of Parliament in the 1990s which included a “Coxasaurus” standing amongst a pop-up orchard in front of Westminster Palace. We have plenty of evidence to back up our concerns this time, so we must keep up the pressure. Minette Batters says the clock is ticking for the government to support its rhetoric with concrete actions and demonstrate its commitment to food and farming and she believes the rural vote will be crucial in the next election.
Commercial robotic solutions are always tantalisingly just over the horizon. A recent Asplins PO growers’ visit to the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology highlighted that what the industry needs now is still in the research phase and not yet commercial. Two more reports on Dutch soft-fruit production this month show that growers in the Netherlands face the same challenges as us. Looking ahead another challenge is whether it is possible to grow strawberries with fossil-free energy. The Dutch greenhouse sector and government have signalled their intentions to become fossil-free by 2040.
The March issue also contains articles on
- Dutch strawberry day
- International soft fruit conference field trip
- Robotics
- Matching nitrogen supply with demand
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