The old adage says ‘a week is a long time in politics’ but the month of September 2022 has been a roller coaster for news, much of it sad – notably the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, or scary. The new Prime Minister and her Chancellor have spooked the international money markets, adding more burden to those borrowing money. The news of Government help for businesses with energy costs for the next six months, whilst welcome, only reduces stress levels slightly.
Liz Truss has swept aside many Ministers as she takes office, and Defra is no exception. The appointment of Ranil Jayawardena MP as the new Defra Secretary of State has attracted some controversy due to both his voting record and previous statements about farming. At least Farming Minister Victoria Prentis has been replaced by another MP with a farming background. During the leadership contest Liz Truss pledged to extend SAWS, so let’s hope that the new Home Secretary implements this policy change on migrant labour.
Whilst all this momentous news has been dominating the media, the harvest of top-fruit and grapes has been rolling on in mostly helpful weather. Sugar levels are reportedly higher in fruit this year due to the hot summer, and the showers in early September were very welcome to relieve the drought. It’s good to see that health-messaging features strongly in BAPL’s new season launch activities. Specifically, research has shown that apples and pears contain several bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, dietary fibre, and antioxidants, that have been individually associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Crops like blackcurrants, plums and blueberries, which often get less attention, feature in this issue. It is now clear that for many blackcurrant growers the hot, dry summer made for a challenging season, with fruit ripening unevenly and falling off the bushes before harvesting. Big crop losses were common in the South East and East Anglia. Following the winding down of horticultural activities at AHDB in 2022, new funding for the Plum Demonstration Centre from a consortium consisting of growers and marketing groups is most welcome and will result in a ‘hands-on’ approach to the management of the Centre, providing help and support with some of the husbandry tasks undertaken there. Steven Vale reports on the electrically powered self-propelled Harvy500 blueberry harvester from FineField Innovative Agri Systems in use at one of the Netherlands largest blueberry growers.
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