Floods and storms across the UK, after an unusually warm start to October in South-East England, have meant a tricky harvest for the later apple and vine varieties. The 90th National Fruit Show at the start of November was the usual showcase for the whole fruit industry, but the later date still clashes with apple picking for varieties that don’t ripen until November like Braeburn and Pink Lady. ‘Well done!’ to the competitors who entered the competition and creating the stunning central display of our product. This Show is unlikely to reach its 100th year if exhibitors find themselves talking to each other and not to visitors from the industry.
Speakers at the Show included NFU President Minette Batters, on her third visit, and she well deserves the Jon Jones Award for service to our industry. The uncertainty facing growers was widely discussed, with retailers and government coming in for the most criticism. The audit burden imposed by UK retailers on fruit and vegetable growers is out of control. Supermarkets in the USA are operating well, and consumers protected, without imposing more than minimal audits. Here, production costs have rocketed while returns are static. Why invest in a project as long-term as a new orchard in the present economic climate? Growing a commodity apple variety like Gala is hard to justify, leading to the change to late maturing apple varieties that can store beyond next spring and attract price premiums.
Wines of Great Britain reports a 74% growth in vine plantings in just five years to 4,300ha. This year’s Vineyard & Winery Show, also at the Kent County Showground later this month, is likely to attract another record-breaking attendance as the viticulture industry continues to go from strength to strength. This year’s grape harvest has not been plain sailing and there are lessons to be learned, including the use of machine harvesting, discussed in our round-up of the 2023 harvest.
We should be proud that research to support fruit growers at East Malling began in 1913 and much of the success over the years has been built on collaboration between scientists and the industry. Finding solutions to production problems has also increased yields and fruit quality. Scott Raffle describes how NIAB has begun work at East Malling on 13 new fruit projects that seek to make fruit production more sustainable.
The November issue also includes
- Artificial Intelligence
- Organic Strawberries
- LEAF endorsed agronomist
- A full preview of the ‘Vineyard and Winery Show’
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