We are not crying wolf, fruit-growing businesses cannot continue to make losses and face such uncertainty going forward. That the industry will shrink is obvious to see, as apple and pear orchards are grubbed this winter and tree orders are cancelled. As Nick Marston of British Berry Growers warns, if returns to growers don’t improve, they will be forced to reduce the volume of fruit they produce. With production costs up 20% last year, few, if any, businesses made any money. As Nick concludes, retailers seem to be looking after themselves at the expense of British growers. They need to pay a fair and sustainable price for British berries. “If we don’t address this disconnect, British berry growers will start to reduce the numbers of berries they grow, as they are unable to make a profit”.
The 90th National Fruit Show in November will be led by a new CEO, Sally Flanagan. Andrew Tinsley, as Chair of Trustees, rightly thanked Sarah Calcutt for her terrific contribution over the last 16 years in his welcome to Sally. We are lucky to have an institution in the shape of the Marden Fruit Show Society that seeks to work with and bring together growers, the wider industry, schools, and colleges, to help identify and find solutions to some of the challenges that they face.
Our Europe-based reporter Stephen Vale has been busy visiting machinery exhibitions and conferences in Italy and the Netherlands. His comprehensive reports make excellent reading for anyone wanting to get a wider view of what’s available. Seen at the EIMA machinery show in Bologna last autumn, grape harvesters, tractors, and robots suitable for vineyards are reviewed in Stephen’s report. In January the exhibition hall at this year’s International Soft Fruit Conference was packed with 100 exhibitors providing an opportunity to catch up on some of the latest developments in soft-fruit machinery, lighting, pots, packaging, and substrates. Of particular interest was a trio of machines to control mildew using UV-C light. The conference programme covered a wide range of topics, including LEDs, screens, robots, substrates, and biological control. The possible biocontrol of powdery mildew using a predatory mite is of particular interest.
UK-based R&D features in the report of the NIAB Soft Fruit Day, which includes the latest progress with SWD control. Since 2012 NIAB EMR entomologists have led the lion’s share of UK-funded SWD research.
The February issue also contains articles on
- New water technology
- British Apples and Pears
- NIAB Soft Fruit Day
- EIMA 2022
To read these and more from “The Fruit Grower” subscribe today – find out more here.